Tonight
by 13percenter
Summary: An ordinary week in the life of John Connor. John tries to survive Cromartie's minions popping up everywhere he goes, while getting to know his body guard better at the same time. Finally completed!
1. Chapter 1

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Tonight…

Chapter One

John Connor watched as the day to end all days arrived. Their attempts at destroying Skynet had failed miserably. He watched as nuclear weapons rained down like so many droplets of water. Tactical weapons delivered by state of the art unmanned air combat vehicles to specific targets, MIRV multiple warhead systems from ballistic missiles, and space launched weapons from Skynet satellites. The cities were shatted, the people burned, death and destruction everywhere. He hid under his bed like a scared child as the world around him collapsed. The metallic skeletal hand of a terminator darted under his bed and dragged him out by his neck. He felt the fingers curl tighter into a fist, cutting off the flow of oxygen to…

---

"GgggaaaaaaaahhhhhHHH!" John bolted upright in bed. A nightmare, it was just a nightmare. The world wasn't coming to an end, not just yet. By now he should have known it was just another nightmare.

"John?" Cameron had been walking by, she pushed his door open slightly and leaned in, "Are you okay?" Her voice was filled with genuine concern, she seemed all too human to John at the moment.

"Yhea, thanks Cameron…I'm fine…" He looked at his clock. One in the morning, thankfully it was Friday…Or rather, Saturday now. No school, that was all that mattered.

"Is there something you would like to talk about? Often times conversation helps with problems." Back to her usual monotone again.

"I, ah, I guess so" John swung his feet out of bed and stood "Meet, uh, meet me in the kitchen?" As long as he was up, maybe he could talk about it. Strange as it was, sometimes Cameron could be more supportive than Sarah…

Cameron nodded before turning on her heels and walking off. A quick check down the hall confirmed that his mom was still sleeping. John quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and swapped his t-shirt, soaked in sweat from his nightmare, for a new one. Satisfied that he looked close enough to normal, he slinked off as silently as possible towards the kitchen.

---

Cameron had immediately walked to the kitchen and taken a seat. She was sitting in the dark with her hands folded in front of her on the table when John arrived. He clicked on a small night light, and started a pot of coffee before sitting near her. "Cam?"

"Yes, John?" She looked him in the eyes, and he continued "I don't think I can handle being the freaking savior of all mankind."

"I know you can John, in the future, you are a great and successful leader."

He stood, poured two cups with his shaky hands, and took his seat again staring down at his cup. "Great to know, but if I fuck it all up somehow, we lose, and there goes the future. We're all either dead or slaves. If I get killed…From what I know of the future…Well…It's not a pretty place…I, uh…Damn it…" He looked up in the dark "The truth is I'm scared. I'm in over my head, and there's nobody to pull me out. What if I turn out to be a coward? When I was trapped with that Terminator I was terrified. I thought it would wake up at any moment and end kill me."

"I understand." Her hand squeezed his "And I will always be here to 'pull you out' when you require it."

"No you don't understand, you can't…Wait…You'll _what?"_ He dropped his head into his hands to try to think. He had always trusted Cameron and thought there was something more to her than the simple robot his mother saw, but an understanding of human emotions? And since when did she use slang?

Cameron ran her hand through his hair, it was soaked from sweat. Her sensors could tell that he had a racing pulse and elevated temperature. "You are ill, you should return to sleep."

John shook his head "No, not now."

Reasoning it was fear of being alone or having another nightmare, she tried an alternative suggestion: "The couch, then" She pointed to the living room "I will remain nearby." "Okay…"

Cameron reached her arm around John, and helped him walk, really to stagger, to the couch. She could have simply lifted him up and carried him, but decided not to risk the chance that he would object and argue with her more. She lowered him to a sitting position, walked towards her room, and returned with a blanket.

After covering John with the blanket, she sat down beside him. John moved closer, wrapping the blanket around her and resting his head on her shoulder. She hesitated for a second before putting her arm around him.

"Cam?" "Yes?" "Thanks." John yawned and shifted a little into a new position. "You're welcome John."

---

Coming Soon - Chapter Two:

John Connor has discovered that he has more than a simple bodyguard in Cameron. He knows he can turn to her for comfort when he needs it. But how will his mother feel about his deep trust of a machine?

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	2. Chapter 2

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:  
First, I would like to thank you all for your input. Hopefully I'm not being _too_ sappy with the interactions between the two of them. I feel like there is or should be something between John and Cameron. If the pilot was longer and Cameron stayed "under cover" longer, I think we might have seen something develop. Also it seems as if Sarah never liked Cameron. Figuring out how Cameron should 'think' is driving me nuts, I'm not female and I'm not a robot. anyway, let me know how you like the latest addition, and if I'm still on the right track.

---

Tonight…

Chapter Two

Sarah Connor woke promptly at seven. It might be the weekend for John, and the machine, but for her it meant another long day. She showered and dressed for work, then went to cook breakfast. That was when she saw them. John and Cameron, Cameron the metal _killing machine_, snuggled together on the couch. 'No fucking way this is happening in _my _house!' She crept off to her bedroom, and pulled the Mossberg 590 12 gauge combat shotgun from under her bed. It might not kill a Terminator, but she would damn well try!

From her seat on the couch, Cameron could hear all of the sounds around her. She heard Sarah wake up, take her shower, dress, enter the living room, leave, return, and now the 'Click!' of what could only be a safety being switched off. She opened her eyes to find herself staring down the barrel of a shotgun. She kept her voice quiet, but the confusion came through "Sarah?"

Sarah Connor shook with rage, "Get away from him." And Cameron did, removing her arm from John, and moving to stand, but not fast enough for Sarah "NOW GOD DAMN IT!"

John jumped awake, literally, landing on his face. His mother rarely ever yelled like that. "What the hell!?" He picked himself up off the floor and took in his surroundings. 'Not again', the memory of the argument over Uncle Bob was still fresh in his mind.

"John, step away from it." Sarah gestured with the barrel of her shotgun

John looked at Cameron and back at his mother "Away from _what_ mom? Away from_what?_" John gestured around the room 'She's not the same! Why can't you SEE that!?'

"Away from _her_then!" The burning rage and hatred dripped from her words 'Metal bitch!'

"That's right,_her!_ And _she_ has a _name_." He set his hand on Cameron's shoulder

"Names mean nothing! You might still see her as the cute little country girl who said hello to you the first day of class, but I see the truth!"

"Maybe I do see her as that. But maybe I'm closer to the truth than you are?" John stepped in front of Sarah and the shotgun. "Give me the gun. If you shoot in here, the neighbors will hear it, and call the police, and that will be that. Don't you remember all the times she's saved me? She saved my ass the first day I was in class; she saved my ass in that bunker. We can trust her, I trust her, do you trust me? Give me the gun."

"Damn it John…" Slowly, she lowered the shotgun. "Sometimes you just never give up, do you?" "No." John took the weapon, and clicked the safety back on. Sarah sighed and checked her watch. "Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! Look, I have to go. But this is NOT over. Stay out of trouble." She stormed out of the house, started her car, and sped off.

"Wait here Cam, I'm just gonna put this back."

"Okay." She stood in place with her head down

---

John returned, without the shotgun, flopped down on the couch, and looked up at Cameron. 'She looks…Sad, really sad. I've always wondered but…' He patted his hand beside him, and Cameron sat down. "Cam, I'm sorry about that, she just…It's a long story."

"I understand." She tried to smile, obviously fake

"This might sound a little crazy but, you feel things, don't you?" John turned to face her before continuing "I mean, like, emotions?"

"I…Yes." She smiled a bit, for real this time "I told you. I'm different."

'No kidding.' John cleared his throat before speaking again "So, you feel sad, happy, nervous, bored?" "Yes."

"And it hurts when you get shot?"

"It hurts, yes." Cameron saw John wince "Don't worry, I can ignore that."

"Don't worry…Hah! I know, it's just…It's a guy thing I guess." He still remembered how he felt after Cromarty had shot her in class.

"It's really nothing…" Cameron patted him on the back "I'll be OK." 'He worries too much…And in the future when he sends people to fight and die, that could become a problem…'

"How about scared, or hungry?" Cameron chuckled "Scared, never. At least not yet. Hungry, sometimes. Though I do not require food my organic tissues last longer with proper nutrition. You're being inquisitive today."

"Uh, sorry?" "Don't be. Leaders require information to make the right choice. To get information you must ask questions and receive answers. Your ability to gather and organize information will help make you the great leader you become."

John raised an eyebrow "Every time you talk about my future self I can't help but feel like you admire me...Well, Him."

"I admire you, and him. You are the same person. And…" John's ear to ear grin stopped her. 'He knows…' "I'm sorry I-"

John interrupted "Cam, would you like to go out for lunch sometime?"

She flashed John her favorite crooked grin

"Well, I guess it's a date then. Where would you like to go?"

"For now, John, I suggest we shower and dress. You may go first. Yesterday Sarah and I agreed that you require some training. Now is a good time to do so."

---

John headed for the bathroom to shower, then to his room to dress. Jeans, white T-shirt, flannel plaid shirt, and tennis shoes. Nothing fancy. Why bother? He noted that Cameron was taking her sweet time. 'Better check on her.'

John knocked on her door "Cameron, everything OK?"

"Yes. You may enter if you wish."

John opened the door. She was wearing a black tank top, black jeans, and combat boots, and just about to start applying some kind of makeup "Hey Cam what are you up to?"

"One of the girls I encountered at school gave me suggestion on how to apply cosmetics. She was the same one who informed me of my status as a 'bitch whore'"

'Gee, wonder who the 'real bitch whore' is…' John put his hand on her shoulder "You don't need that, you look perfect the way you are. And you are _NOT_ a 'bitch whore'…She is."

Cameron set her makeup back in the proper place on her dresser "Why would see call me a bitch whore?"

John thought about it for a moment before answering "Well...Some people take everything personally, or feel like they have to be 'better' than everyone else. Also some people are just jerks. Maybe she didn't understand you, I mean, well, you know. And, whenever somebody calls you a name like that, just ignore them. Come to me and tell me about it, and I'll try to explain, OK?"

Cameron nodded "I understand. And, thank you." She headed for the door "Wait for me in the kitchen."

"Uh, right."

---

When Cameron returned, she did so with a cleaning kit and several rifle and pistol cases. She turned to John. "You will learn to be proficient with all of these. You will also learn how to field strip and clean each one of these."

She removed one from its case. "M-16" John said, hoping for an escape – firearms just weren't his thing "I know how to shoot this."

"Do you? What are the immediate steps for fixing a malfunction?"

"Simple" He took the rifle from her hands "Grab the charging handle here, pull it back, tilt the gun to the right, give it a shake, put it level again, and let go of the handle."

"Wrong, John" She laughed at him before explaining "You must always remember, when clearing a jam with the M-16: SPORTS."

"Huh?" John tilted his head 'God not weapons acronyms…'

"Slap, Pull, Observe, Release, Tap, Shoot." She moved through the motions faster than he could see. Then repeated them slower while she explained "Slap the bottom of the magazine to be sure it is seated, pull the charging handle back, observe the chamber, release the charging handle, tap the forward assist, then shoot. You try." She threw him the rifle

John stumbled as he caught it, and Cameron giggled. "Geze Cam, thanks a ton." 'Since when the hell does she giggle anyway? And what's so damn funny!?'

"You're welcome." Cameron gestured towards him "Now, demonstrate what you've learned."

'Oh man…' John thought as he looked over the array of various weapons 'this is gonna take all freaking weekend!'

---

Coming Soon - Chapter Three:

Where exactly do you take a robot girl, who is supposed to be your sister none the less, on a date? What happens if your plans get wrecked? How angry will Sarah be when she gets home?

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	3. Chapter 3

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

The fact that she's posing as her sister is problematic. I think I have an unlikely but workable solution. 'SPORTS' is real, that's the correct procedure. And I know Cameron is acting a little more human, honestly I liked her more human side, but I've been toying with her character just like the writers. So, thank you all for your support and comments, and here we go.

---

Tonight…

Chapter Three

After a break for a late lunch, Cameron had moved on to cleaning the weapons they had. Right now she was going through the steps to strip and clean a Glock-17 with mechanical precision. "Remove the magazine, rack the slide back, and check that the chamber is clear. Release the slide, and pull the trigger to de-cock the striker. Grasp the pistol in one hand by wrapping your thumb around the rear of the frame and fingers around the slide. Pull the slide back gently while pushing down on the locking tabs with your free hand. Slide the upper assembly from the frame."

John felt dizzy at the list of instructions, but he followed them to the letter. 'Magazine out, rack, clear, release, pull trigger, grasp like so, tabs, right' the upper slid off easily. "Right, what now."

"Good. You now have the upper and lower assembly separated. We do not usually detail strip these weapons. Now invert the slide in your hand, and push forward on the recoil spring guide. Lift the back end of the guide to remove the guide and captive spring. Push the barrel away from the ejection port and forward. Remove the barrel from the slide."

John followed her instructions "Sooo…this is it right?"

"No, not exactly." She gave him her blank robotic stare "Now we will clean and lubricate all parts before reassembly."

The front door opened and slammed, his mother's keys hit the table, and John enjoyed the momentary respite he got from Cameron's instructions. Sarah's heavy foot falls came down the hallway, and she entered the kitchen. "John, we need to talk."

'Crap.' He sighed "About Cameron and I, right?"

"Yes about Cameron and you." She gestured between the two of them "Just what the hell are you thinking?"

"About where she and I can go out tomorrow night."

Sarah's jaw dropped "No fucking way!" She shook her head "Impossible! Did you forget that she's been posing as your sister?!"

"No. But that's not going to be a problem."

"How the hell not!? And what the hell, are you thinking about some kind of a future with that…That…Thing!? John I swear if you two do it and she gives birth to some screwed up man machine hybrid, I'll kill you both!"

Cameron took the opportunity to chime in "Impossible. Though I am familiar with human sexual behavior, I am, in effect, infertile."

"That's beside the point!" Sarah yelled.

"Look, mom, you aren't giving her enough credit. And she's not some thing; she's different from any terminator we've ever seen. I know you don't approve, but, did you ever consider that future John sent her back to be more than my bodyguard?"

"Where are you going with this?" Her eyes narrowed

"We've been on the run, since, well, forever, right? What if she's here to be more than just another Uncle Bob? I mean, I don't know if I should call it love, but, I really, really like her. Maybe my future self wanted this to happen?"

Sarah mulled the though over for a moment. "If he didn't, you're an idiot. If he did, well you're both idiots. And I don't approve either way." Sarah turned to Cameron "Hey, Tin man, John gave you orders before you left right?"

Cameron knew where this was going "Yes, however on this particular issue he told me that it would be best to wait for John to make a choice."

"I can't stop you, can I, John?" Sarah frowned "Well then, tiger, you can…'date'…Her…On one condition, you tell me how to get around the whole sister thing."

"I don't know yet. But as soon as I get an idea, I'll let you know."

"Fine, but until then, in public, nothing that would be unacceptable for brother and sister." She glared at Cameron "That's an order."

Sarah turned to leave the room, her voice suddenly very casual "I need to unwind, oh and John, you keep this all out of my sight too. Or else, I'll do something unspeakably horrible to you. And whatever you're thinking right now, I mean something worse than that."

John gulped 'She means it.' He gave Cameron a look, she nodded slightly. Sarah had retreated to her own bedroom and was drawing a bath before Cameron spoke again "John, you can breathe now"

He gasped for breath, and Cameron laughed. "Sorry, didn't realize I was doing that. If it's okay with you I'd like to just, take a break here."

"It's Okay…We can pack up, we can continue later." Cameron quickly wiped the weapon down and John watched as she reassembled it. "I want you to carry one of these with you everywhere you can. If we are caught, I will handle the police."

"Uh, right." John didn't want to think about what that meant

"John?"

He looked up, into big brown eyes "Yhea?"

"I just wanted to say, I feel the same way about you"

John smiled "I hear there's something good on Fox tonight. Want to watch it together?"

"I'd love to." She smiled

"Good, how about I make popcorn then?"

"I've never had any" She thought for a moment "I don't understand why you would choose now to make it?"

"It's a human thing, hard to explain. Just trust me on this one, you'll love it."

---

John finally decided to go to sleep late that night. Cameron had barraged him with questions, mostly related to humans and humor. She was still trying to grasp some of the finer points, but he knew she would understand. Breakfast the next day was interesting to say the least. Sarah gave both of them the cold shoulder until they left. Cameron dressed her best to fit in, meaning blue jeans and a polo shirt today. School was more of the same classes, the usual boring stuff, until a few of his friends from auto shop tried to get him to bring Cameron out after class for a bite to eat. He couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to that than they would admit.

John walked up beside Cameron "So, some of the guys I know are going out to one of the places near here. Mike says theres some group project or something they want my help with. They want to know if you would come along."

"I have to, to protect you. Do they want me to help as well?"

"No…Not exactly. I'm pretty sure it's just so they can hit on you. But until we get the whole brother sister thing sorted out we have to keep a low profile."

"I see, so, does this count as our date?"

"Err...No. Not exactly..."

She shrugged "So, where is this place?"

"Not too far." John pointed a thumb over his shoulder "C'mon, we can walk right over."

---

As John and Cameron entered the restaurant, a group of a few boys waved from a table in the back. It was a small business, obviously set up with the intention of luring hungry teachers and highschoolers in. Judging by the name, Old Country Café – there seemed to be one in every town, nothing special either. John wondered how the owners or waitress would react if they knew there was a killer robot in the group. He couldn't help but smile.

"So, Cameron" one of the boys began "You're lookin good today"

"Thank you" Too robot like.

'Well, she doesn't like him.' John struggled to keep a straight face.

Unfortunately, when the waitress arrived to take their orders, she targeted Cameron first. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"No, thank you."

John smacked his head; he knew he should have gone over this. "She means water will be fine. Long story."

The waitress went around the table before coming back to Cameron "The special today is Salisbury steak, with your choice of vegetable, and mashed potatoes or French fries. Soups today are split pea with ham or chicken noodle."

'What do I do now? Help me John!' Cameron stared back blankly, and the waitress started on about their vegetarian options.

'Ohhh shit, this wasn't in her programming and she hasn't had a chance to learn!…Think fast John, you've got about ten seconds till she's finished!' John folded his hands together, rested his elbows on the table, and hid his mouth behind his interlaced fingers.

John lowered his voice to the quietest whisper he could manage. He had to take a bet on her electronic ears being better than anyone else's "Take the special, and smile"

Cameron smiled "You know the special sounds nice."

"Okay, peas, green beans, or carrots?"

'YESSSS!' John cleared his throat "Carrots."

"Carrots please."

That waitress scribbled another note "And fries or mashed potatoes"

"Fries"

"Hmm, I think I'll have the mashed potatoes."

Another scribble "Okay, and you?" She continued with the others

She leaned close to John "Too much fried food is bad you know, and thanks for the help."

John managed to get through their meal without strangling anybody at the table, and Cameron managed to pass for human, if somewhat lacking in social skills. Just before they began placing orders for desert, Cameron bolted upright in her seat.

"We have to go,_NOW."_

"Whats the rush Cammy?" one of the boys asked

As John watched, a passer by slipped out of his jacket to reveal a shotgun. And John could tell one thing from the way he walked: _Terminator._

---

Coming Soon - Chapter Four:

The jig is up. Cameron's dirty little secret will be revealed if she has to fight a terminator. And if she doesn't win the fight, John might not live to see sundown.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	4. Chapter 4

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters. I claim no ownership to any Sierra product or characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

To Chris St Thomas: Yes, it's rushed, and that's my own fault. I think I got a little ahead of myself there. They might be dating pretty quick but I doubt you'll see them go beyond holding hands in this one. Unless…Nahhh…

To Ryan628: Sorry for the choppyness, I'll try to work on that in the future. And yes, John gets away with quite a bit in the movies/series, and here as well. As for ep.6, very good, but I don't like the way they portrayed Cameron. "Pretty as a picture" (Hell Yhea Summer!) but being set up to be involved in something horrible.

Any Styx references were unintentional. There is an intentional one to something else in here. Who can find it? Thanks again to all those who left a review, and thanks for your support.

---

Tonight…

Chapter Four

John grabbed Cameron by the arm, stopping her from taking out her pistol "Not yet damn it, not yet. Maybe we can sneak out the back."

"Whoa" Somebody stood from a booth, heading to the front door. "Run!"

"Are you crazy!? GET DOWN!" John grabbed for him.

Too late. The Terminator took note of the person running, aimed the shotgun, and fired. From a distance of under twenty yards 00-Buckshot can be a very nasty thing. It was nothing like the movies, no huge splatter of blood, no dramatic flying across the room. The boy fell on his face and tumbled over, a pattern of rips and holes across his chest told the tale. Around the room faces gaped, in shock.

"We have to get out of here" Cameron told him "I'll distract him and-"

"No! Wait!" John slapped her hand from the grip of the Glock-17 tucked in her pants yet again, he pointed outside "Look!"

---

Outside, officer Sonny Bonds and his fellow officer Scotty Wixell patrolled the streets in their standard issue, underpowered, limp wristed patrol car. Their day had been boring so far. The usual routine, patrol their assigned area, write tickets for speeding drivers, jay walkers, and anybody else who stepped out of line. But it was lunchtime now.

Wixell laughed "Hey Sonny, did you hear what happened to Pachmeyr and Carmichael yesterday?"

Bonds pulled into the parking lot "No, but it was something about…Oh Shit!"

"What?" Bonds pointed at a man racking a shotgun "Oh Shit!"

"Thirty One David to dispatch! Heavily armed man at the Old Country Café on Broadway!"

Inside, John, Cameron and the others watched as the patrol car pulled up. The two officers jumped out, one held what he recognized as the standard issue pump shotgun. The driver jumped from his seat and ran to the trunk, returning with an M-4 carbine.

---

"Come on, shoot him!" John gritted his teeth, peering out the window

"That won't stop him John." Cameron stated the fact "With those weapons, they have a zero-point-zero-one percent chance to stop him."

"But maybe we can get out of here if they distract him."

---

Wixell took a deep breath before yelling "HEY! _YOU!_ Drop the weapon! Put up your hands!"

Bonds crouched on the opposite side of the car, behind the engine for some protection "DO IT NOW!" He nervously flicked the safety off of his patrol rifle.

The Terminator turned around, and Wixell shot, the rounds had no effect and the robot's reply was a well aimed shot to the officer's chest.

Bonds started shooting, two to the body, one shot to the head. Nothing. He repeated the drill, nothing. Then he noticed the metallic shine exposed by the wounds in the suspect's skin. 'No freaking way…Oh god…Oh god!'

---

John watched the officer's eyes go wide. The last time he remembered seeing that expression was when his mother saw 'Uncle Bob' coming to save her from the hands of psychiatrists, though they acted like criminals. He knew that right now, whoever that unlucky soul was, was busy watching his life flash before his eyes. He was reevaluating the meaning of life, and his perspective on existence.

Outside, the 800 series fired again. A shower of metal fragments and glass hitting Bonds in the face brought him back to the here and now. Bonds looked up at the metal killer walking towards him. 'I'm gonna die. I am going to die. I'm dead already. What now? Dad would tell me……Go down fighting?...Yhea, dad always said it's better to die on your feet...Fine…I will…'

He didn't have the tools he needed with him. Hollow point ammunition made it safe for bystanders, but this thing shrugged them off. Retreating to the rear of the car, he grabbed the tactical vest from the trunk. Holding it by the collar jammed in his teeth, he tore at one of the pouches. Out came another 30 round magazine painted with a red line.

'Come on! Come on! What are you _doing!?'_

"Ammunition change." Cameron announced. Naturally she knew the difference. "He thinks steel pointed rounds will hurt a…Him."

"Well, will they?"

"Probably not."

John looked up at her "You really are a kill joy. Look on the bright side...Thats got to improve his odds quite a bit!"

"No" She looked down, then smiled, but John frowned "More like two percent now. Look on the bright side John, three if he's a good shot."

---

Slapping the new magazine into place, Officer Bonds took aim once again. "DIE!"

The rounds from his rifle sparked off of the metal monster's face. Until one shot caused a reaction.

---

John could hear every detail of the fight. _Bang!Clank! Bang!Clank! Bang!Clank! _The .223 caliber rifle wasn't very effective

_BOOM!-Crash! _'Shotgun' John thought 'Got to love em when they aren't pointed at you.'

Cameron watched on as well, and suddenly, the 800 jerked and stopped for a moment.

"What happened!?" John poked his head a little higher

"He found a weak point." Cameron sounded like she admired him now "Not many people figure that out."

"Well?!"

"Eyes."

---

Bonds saw the jerk. 'The eyes? Yes! The eyes!' pouring more lead into the same area, he scored more hits. The damaged robot fell over, dropped the shotgun, and decided to retreat. John watched it jump to its feet and sprint away, leaving a shattered optical sensor behind. More sirens and flashing lights announced the arrival of more help. Too late. John saw the officer walk to his partner. He checked for a pulse, and then started CPR. It wouldn't work.

Rob, one of his classmates, crawled over "What the hell was that? John he was looking right at you for a while!"

"It's hard to explain" John waved his hand "I don't really have the time right now…"

"Yhea lets get out of here!"

They bolted for the door, where a pair of officers stopped them. "Everybody take a seat, please. Are you all okay? Some paramedics just want to check you all out. We'd like to ask you some questions."

'Shiiiiiiit!' John just hated _questions_. And Cameron would be difficult to handle this time.

She leaned close to him "Fake sick, hide in the bathroom. Stay there."

"Okay." He headed to the door. '_Puhhhhhleaaaase don't see me!'_

"Hey buddy" It was a cop "Why don't you just take a seat please. Why don't you take a seat?"

"Sick, going to barf!" 'Lay off it!'

The officer thought for a moment "Well, go ahead then"

Cameron would have 'thought fast', but for a computer everything happened at the speed of light. She looked around. She knew that gender and age made a big difference. She guessed that a human would feel something. But the dead cop, to her, meant nothing. Scared perhaps, but she didn't feel it. She was concentrating on protecting John. 'Who do I pick? You must decide Cameron. Young and female fit your profile. The woman outside? No, she's a cop, her reactions would not fit. Ah, the waitress!' A quick study of the waitress showed her how to act.

At first, John's hacks and coughs were faked. But the adrenaline that had pumped into his system started to take its toll. A stomach of greasy food didn't help. Then they became real. When his stomach finally emptied he continued with dry heaves for a while. 'Don't screw up, Cam!'

The officers got to her last; she made sure of that, the rest of the group had been taken outside by now. "Are you sure you're okay ma'am?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." 'Too polite' she mused

"I'd like to ask you a few questions if you're ready now." He smiled and adjusted his hat

"Okay" 'not shaky enough' she altered her voice a bit

"Did you get a good look at his face?"

She knew if she said yes, they would want her to help make a sketch "No, sorry."

"What he was wearing?"

"Blue jeans, boots, a t-shirt, I think it was brown, I think, and a leather jacket." 'Perfect.'

"Did you know him?"

"I…No. I didn't."

"Anything else you can add?"

"No, nothing."

"Right, can you just give me your name and a number where I can reach you?"

Her CPU ran through millions of computations. Eventually she came to a solution. Claiming she had lost her purse, she gave a fake name and number. She made sure it wouldn't come up to anybody in the area.

"Thank you. Do you think your brother is ready to talk now?"

"He really wasn't feeling well. Do you think you could call him later? I really want to go home now too. It's scary here." She looked up with big watery eyes

"I guess that would be acceptable." The officer smiled "Thank you for your cooperation."

---

Cameron collected John, and quickly ushered him out of the building. She put an arm around him, and he reached one around her. The pair staggered along, Cameron could have easily carried him but that would have looked strange.

John looked over "Hey Cam"

She turned "What?"

"Nice job back there"

"No, not really"

That caught his attention "What does that mean?"

"He'll be back."

"You sound pretty confident of that."

She nodded "I am."

John took a seat on the curb, pulling Cameron down with him. "If you know anything about that terminator, you need to tell me."

"No, nothing. All I can tell you is that you were his target. Perhaps a partner, so to speak, for Cromartie. Terminators do not typically pair up, but it has been done before."

"Let's just get home…" He stood, and Cameron followed him "Agreed."

---

Coming Soon –Chapter Five:

Night time for most of the country means sleep. Chances are the average person is heading to bed after a long day of school, work, or both. Unless, of course, they aren't average.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	5. Chapter 5

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

Neko Dafoe: That would be sir, or dude works fine. My license says Jonathon so that would work too. Thanks for your support, and good luck with your own story.

TermFan1980: You must be an old timer like me then, heh.

I'd like to say thanks to everybody who left a review. I'm sorry for leaving you all hanging for so long without an update; I've been a bit strapped for time. On the same note, this chapter is a bit rushed, so I'd like to apologize now for it's somewhat...Blocky? Nature. Also I'm not sure if this all came out the way I wanted it to.

---

Tonight…

Chapter Five

"DAMN IT JOHN!" Sarah slammed a fist down on the kitchen table "What the hell is wrong with you? You're going to get killed because you went out to lunch?"

"Mom, I didn't get killed, did I?"

"And our cover was not blown" Cameron tried to add something helpful

"Oh yes, our COVER!" Sarah lost it again "Thank you for reminding me! What if you had blown our cover? We could be very well alive, AND IN JAIL FOR ETERNITY!"

"Look, you have to let me have some personal time here!" John leaned forward in his chair "I can't hide constantly anyway! In the future, I won't always be able to bury my face and stay hidden you know!"

"And what makes you think you'll live to see the future if you keep this crap up?"

"I can't explain it, but I know I will." He took hold of his mothers hand "Have some faith in me, please. I need that."

"John, you're too young to be making choi-"

"Don't start with that! Did you forget about Uncle Bob? How we took out a whole lab together? Either you trust me or you don't."

Sarah took a deep breath and sighed "Trust…Fine, I trust you. But I do not trust terminators. I don't trust her!" Sarah pointed to Cameron

"But I do. Give her your trust too."

"No John." Her eyes became cold "Trust is earned, not given. And she hasn't earned it yet. Not mine." Sarah stood "Do your homework John." She turned and walked quickly from the kitchen.

---

Homework always sucked. There were a few subjects John really liked, but the homework still sucked. He closed the book on his desk and rubbed his eyes. The stress from a day of classes, followed by a shootout with a killing machine, was taking its toll. Judging his shirt clean, he tossed it on the bed, grabbed underwear and a t-shirt from his dresser, a pair of jeans from his closet, and headed for the shower. Hot water could work wonders sometimes. By the time he was finished, the knots in his shoulders and neck had released. He was still tired, but he knew sleep would not come easily.

John flopped down on the living room couch, turned on the television, set his feet up on the coffee table, and laced his fingers together behind his head. Cameron came in from the garage; her hands were covered in a mixture of the various oils and solvents used for cleaning weapons. "I'll be back" She said in her robotic monotone voice, and headed for her room.

John laughed a bit, it was cliché but she meant it. He heard the door to the bathroom close, and the water run. He stared at the far wall, his imagination was running free, and he couldn't help but picture her at the moment. Every curve, every detail, every…'Man I am messed up…'

He snapped back to reality when he felt somebody sit beside him, it was Cameron, and he quickly studied her from head to toe. Pajama pants, a tank top, and…His plaid shirt? "What gave you that idea?"

"What idea?" She tilted her head slightly, and John gestured at his shirt "Oh. It reminds me of you, and I thought it would be cute…I'll put it back."

"No, no, don't" He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer "It is." He did his best to fight back a yawn.

"You're tired, but you can't sleep?"

"Yes." He fought back another yawn "Every time I close my eyes, I see their faces."

"I understand."

"So what's it like to, well, never sleep?"

Cameron thought for a moment "Just like being awake, really. But it's very quiet at night."

"When you first got, here, or, there, I mean, back then when we first met. How did…What did you do?"

"The clothes I stole from a nearby Wal-Mart. False identity papers from a group specializing in that kind of thing. The truck…I had to kill for that. I got a job at a mom and pop diner as a waitress. When I wasn't in school or working, I was looking for you."

John nodded his head a little "You know, Cam, that first day in class when you got shot…I felt really guilty for leaving you lying there."

"It's okay John, you had to run."

"I know, but, it's just that…I'm a guy, and we…Look…"

She put a finger to his lips to silence him "I know, and it's OK."

John tried to hold back another yawn. It didn't work.

"Come on John, go to bed." He was about to object "I'll go with you."

---

How could he refuse an offer like that? Within minutes they were in his room, and on his bed. It took a moment to find a comfortable position, Cameron wasn't outlandishly heavy, but she did weigh a bit more than a normal girl her size would weigh. When they did, it was a matter of minutes before John fell asleep.

Cameron heard the pace in his breathing change. She could sleep too, in a manner of speaking, but dreams were beyond her. In the future, John had never told her what it was like for a human to sleep. She couldn't help but wonder. She closed her eyes. Morning was a few hours away.

---

Coming Soon – Chapter Six:

High school. Most days, it sucks. Today is one of them.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	6. Chapter 6

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

Rhyno304 – Do androids dream of electric sheep? I don't know. That's actually something I would like to explore. What goes on in an android brain? As for slipping in a blade runner reference, come on, in chapter 4 I borrowed a bunch of characters from the Police Quest series. This is turning into a 1980's/Early 90's retro-fest!

Tpolich – Yes, it's a little jerky. But hey, remember that the second they step out the front door, they are _brother and sister_ rather than 'boyfriend and girlfriend'. Plus, Sarah complicates things.

---

Tonight…

Chapter Six

Sarah Connor smacked her hand down to turn off her alarm. She rubbed her eyes, slid out of bed, and pulled on a pair of nearby khaki slacks. John would probably still be sleeping, like many teens; he was _not_ a morning person. She stretched and yawned on her way down the hall. She pushed open the door to John's room and froze. 'Jesus Christ!'

John was lying on his back, one arm wrapped around Cameron. She had her back to Sarah, one arm across his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. Sarah's face contorted in a silent scream. Questions raced through her head at the speed of light 'Why? What does he feel for her? What does he see in her? Is he dreaming about her? Why her? Why? Why? Why?'

John shifted slightly, she could see his face more clearly now, the corners of his lips were twisted up in a smile. She often watched John while he slept, but he almost never smiled. No, not almost never. Never. She backed away, closing the door as silently as she could. She felt like she was falling. Her shotgun was under her bed, she could grab it, load it with slugs instead of buckshot, and fuck up that 'bot pretty bad. No. She headed to the kitchen instead.

Sarah reached under the sink, pulling out a bottle of vodka. Not bothering with a glass, she unscrewed the top, tossed it on the table, and took a swig. The taste was…Well it was a cheap brand. She took another gulp before slamming the bottle down. 'What now, Sarah?'

She knew John would become a great leader some day. She knew he had sent Cameron back. She knew he probably had his own reasons. But how could she trust the machine? She couldn't. But she trusted John. And John trusted the machine. And John was…Happy with the machine. As screwed up as the rest of his life and the future would be, this was almost normal. Fine. She would tolerate it. If this made John happy, she could overlook it, but there would be a few rules. She eyed the bottle and decided against another drink, before quickly stashing it away.

---

John yawned as he came out of his deep sleep. He couldn't remember sleeping that peacefully in a long time. Not since Uncle Bob had been there to watch over him. He grinned, Cameron was snuggled close to him, he could feel her warmth in his arms. He glanced toward his clock, know that mom would be cooking breakfast. She looked peaceful, like any other girl, the fact that she was a terminator was their own little secret. Sarah was the only other person who…'Oh shit! Mom!'

John's heart began to pound as adrenaline surged through his veins. Cameron's eyes snapped open. "John? Is everything okay?"

"No! Everything is NOT okay! My mom is going to fucking kill me!"

"I could never allow that to-"

"Well she's gonna try to fucking kill _you_!"

John untangled his arms and legs from Cameron, and stood up. He paced around his room. He knew his mom would think the worst. There was no way around it. Time to face the firing squad. "Come on Cam."

---

John, followed closely by Cameron poked his head into the kitchen, Sarah turned to greet him. The way they were walking in made Sarah chuckle. John looked as if he was waiting for something to cut his head off. She sipped her coffee, "Why don't you two sit down."

John gulped before sitting on the opposite end of the table; Cameron took a seat beside him. "So" Sarah began "You two have been rather close lately."

"Uhm…Yes"

"Did you sleep well, John?" She smiled

"Ah…Yhea…"

"I see." She sipped her coffee, her expression was deadly serious "Do I need to give you 'The talk' now John?"

"No! No, we didn't do anything like that!"

John squirmed, and Sarah smiled "I know, your clothes are too wrinkled, you've been in them all night. So. Let's just make a deal, shall we? We can do that, right?"

"I guess…"

"You two can pursue your…relationship…however you like, but, you remember to lock your damn door and you don't ever do anything intimate anywhere except for when you are locked away alone somewhere. Got it."

"Yes" Cameron nodded

"Okay mom."

"And I don't know where you got that idea, tin man, but that includes wearing his clothes around the house. Now, it looks like your going to miss the bus, so, eat breakfast here or go out, shower, and I can get a ride to work so you can take the jeep. Cam, you had better drive."

"Oooooookay." John didn't think she was acting…normal…Then again, what was normal?

"Good" Sarah pulled out her cell phone and started to dial "Now, get moving…Hello, Jenny? Yhea it's me. Can you give me a lift on your way in? Thanks, that'll be great…Okay, I'll be out front." She headed for the door "Have a good day John."

"Uh, right." John turned to Cameron "So…I'm gonna take a shower then."

"Okay." She headed for the refrigerator "Would you like me to cook you breakfast?"

"How about we just stop somewhere on the way to school?" he shrugged "There's a McDonald's on the way."

"That food is…Bad for your health"

"Hey, I'm active enough, and with robots trying to kill me everywhere I go, what I'm eating probably won't be the end of me. Besides, you'll never get chubby no matter what."

"Fine, just this once"

---

John waited while Cameron showered and dressed, she didn't take long. John ordered for both of them and they ate on their way to class. Class was the closest any of his days got to normal. Teachers bombarded them with questions, he was usually clueless, and Cameron knew everything. All the time every time. He would have to remember to explain to her that sometimes it was OK to miss a question. No, he shook his head: 'To err is human.'

In her own way, Cameron hated classes with a passion. Nothing she learned would help her, in fact, she had learned nearly nothing. With a perfect memory and incredible data storage, she could remember everything she ever saw, heard, smelled, or felt. Felt, that was an interesting parameter to consider, she mused to herself. Previous models were far more archaic than her. Of the humans here, only John knew how…human…She truly was. A question interrupted her thoughts for a moment; she had the answer immediately but paused for a moment to blend in, and went back to her own world. Every time John talked about her like she was more than a simple robot, she felt a sense of pride, belonging. She sighed, and smiled. She couldn't wait for the weekend to spend time with him. 'Impatience? Hey, that's a new one Cam…You go girl!'

---

After their last class, John's cell phone rang. It was his mom, so he answered "Hi mom"

"Hello John, look, I'm going to be getting home late tonight, since you have my wheels could you get some things for me?"

"Yhea, sure"

"We're having hamburgers tonight, so a pound of ground beef, grab an onion, a package of burger buns, and go ahead and get yourself something to drink. We're low on milk, so grab a gallon of two percent."

"Okay, anything else?"

"No, that's all."

"Okay, bye" John sighed "Damn it, she's cooking again."

"Home cooking is usually more nutritious than fast food or carry out."

"Not when my mom makes it…"

"Hmmm" Cameron mused "Agreed."

---

Cameron quickly checked left and right before pulling out of the school parking lot. The supermarket was on the other side of town, about a ten minute drive away. She tried to make idle conversation with John, and it worked, she was getting better at it, more human, over time. But she never let down her guard.

John noticed her stiffen in her seat. "Cam? What is it?"

"The van behind us has been following us."

"Shit…Maybe he's just heading the same way we are?"

"No. I've intentionally taken three detours."

"Terminator?" He casually looked around, not wanting to tip them off.

"No. They look federal. FBI, it's the FBI for sure, one of them is in my files."

"Well fuck me." John rested his head on his hand

Cameron flashed him a crooked grin "I think that would be taking things a little fast, and this is neither the time nor place. We can talk about that subject more a little later on. Until then" She reached over and squeezed his hand "Let's play it cool."

"I never thought I would hear a terminator make a joke like that, _or_ suggest playing it cool."

"I told you. I'm different."

He squeezed back "Yhea, you are."

"I'm going to loose them at the next light." She accelerated to barely catch the yellow... 'Lots of teens make stupid moves when driving, right?'

---

Coming Soon – Chapter Seven

Life on the run again, if not from killer robots, then from the FBI. Can John and Cam slip away from their tail?

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	7. Chapter 7

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

---

Tonight…

Chapter Seven

The driver in the front seat of the truck turned to yell through the curtain to the team in back "Gonna loose them at the light!" He grabbed a radio "Sir, we lost them."

A few cars behind, Agent Ellison of the FBI cursed "We CAN'T loose them! That's John Connor, I KNOW it is! Damn, okay, I'll try to cut them off." He wasn't going to waste an opportunity like this. That HAD to be John Connor. It had BETTER be John Connor, they were supposed to be on their way to bust a drug dealing ring. 'I called it off and turned them all around because I thought I saw a Conner' wouldn't fly well with his bosses without results.

---

Cameron carefully scooted the Jeep across town towards their destination. She carefully scanned around "I see no other vehicles that are out of place."

"Sooo…We lost them?"

"We lost them."

"Thank god…How the hell do these people keep finding me?"

Cameron remained silent. She didn't know. And it worried her.

When they arrived at the store, Cameron selected a parking space near the back of the lot. As they walked towards the entrance, they didn't notice the sedan pull into a space behind them, and they didn't notice the driver carefully lift his radio. John was rolling over the list in his head, as he walked into the store. Cameron grabbed a hand basket, and walked beside him.

"So, ground beef, that's this way."

"Okay" She smiled, and casually looked around. John hated when she did that, but she had to scan for threats. Something caught her attention. One man with a large duffel bag strapped to his back pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. He opened his mouth a fraction of an inch. Nobody else heard it, but her hearing detected the short string of beeps far out of normal human hearing range. It was the audio data link common to all 800 series terminators. She couldn't decode it, but she knew what it meant. The robot turned, and Cameron recognized him as the same terminator that had attacked them at the diner. She quickly pulled John to the side.

"Hey! What the hell?"

"He's back."

"Who?"

"The T-888 from the diner."

"Shit."

"Exactly. And he's calling his friends."

John gulped "Friends?"

---

The ten man FBI tactical team bailed out of the van alongside the store as soon as they arrived; breaking off into two five man elements as they advanced. Their leader, Agent Jim Parker, surveyed the scene. The second element was heading around back. His element would blitz the front. He watched the second element turn the corner: Kyle Martin, Rachel Hauer, Thomas Belleview, and Mike Henrickson with their 9mm MP-5 submachine guns. Greg Able followed close behind with an M-4 Master-Key.

He slipped the safety off of his M-16A2, and looked carefully around the corner. Nobody inside seemed to have noticed them yet. One man was just putting a cell phone away; other shoppers counted out bills or swiped credit cards at registers. Cain, Smith, and Marion took positions behind him, MP-5's at the ready. Roberts readied his Benelli M-1, a semiautomatic 12 gauge combat shotgun. Parker's headset crackled to life: "Second element, in position, door locked."

"Roger, stand by, breach and enter dynamic when I signal. We'll come in the front."

He turned back towards his team "Ready guys?"

"Hooah!" "Hell yes!" "Whenever you are" "Good to go"

"_GO!_"

---

"John, follow me." Cameron hustled towards the back of the store

"I'm right with you!" John kicked up into a run. He glanced over his shoulder, the terminator was holding an AK-47 now, but thankfully looking the wrong way at the moment. He pushed ever harder to follow Cameron.

The sound of breaking glass followed by AK-47 fire caused shoppers to dive for cover and scream. John fell face first to the floor as if he had been punched in the back. A deafening explosion and blinding light behind him caught his attention. 'Flash bang, tactical team's here too now.'

Outside, Parker heard the shots, for some reason not directed at him. He rose up and saw a man with an AK-47 in his hands. His back was turned, and Parker didn't waste time. He fired a burst, and watched as the round sparked off his target. Cain was yelling "Body armor! Head shots! Head shots!"

Cameron reached back to grab John's arm, pulling him ever faster behind her. John felt his feet lift off the ground behind him, the wind rushed through his hair as Cameron dragged him towards their escape through the back door at super human speeds. The swinging plastic doors slapped him in the face as Cameron dragged him through. "Okay! Okay! Put me down!" John found his feet again.

Following orders, the second element breached the back door. Able held up his M-4 carbine, fitted with a 12 gauge pump shotgun under the barrel in a configuration known as the "Master-Key", and blew the offending lock away with a shotgun slug. He kicked the door open and Martin threw in a flash bang.

Cameron saw the door burst open at the far end of the stock room in the back of the store. 'Why can they never be stupid?' As utility clerks and stockers hit the floor, Cameron jerked open the door to a nearby walk in storage freezer, and shoved John in.

John tumbled into the freezer, and looked up into Cameron's eyes. They were filled with emotion that he didn't know she could feel. Love, hate, rage, and fear. They were, in a strange way, beautiful. He reached his hand up to her; his back ached for some reason. She jerked the door closed before helping him to his feet.

Able pumped a new round into the shotgun mounted to his M-4; the rest of his team had blitzed inside, and were already securing bystanders and searching for Connor. Able never had the chance to cross the threshold. The T-888's phone call had been for Cromartie. He grabbed Agent Able's head and smashed it into the wall. The impact killed him immediately.

John lurched forward into Cameron's arms. She held him up, and searched gently down his back. The wound was easy to find, as it was marked by a large patch of blood. It was a grazing shot, and he would live. But her mission was to protect him, and she had failed. She pushed on the wound; he gasped and writhed in pain. "I'm sorry John, I'm so sorry.

He looked into her eyes, as a tear rolled down her cheek. He raised his hand up and wiped away the tear with his thumb. "So, you know now why we cry." She nodded and her lips trembled "Its okay Cam. I'll live, my back is just cramping up real bad. Set me down on those boxes over there."

Gently, she lowered him on the boxes, and he pulled the back of his shirt up. "John, if I lost you…I don't know what I would do."

John grimaced "You won't lose me. Not now, not ever."

Parker's eyes darted around. He was fighting something inhuman. Agent Cain was lying on the floor, face down and lifeless. Marion was nearby in a puddle of blood, his body in a heap and his breathing shallow. Smith was trying his best to administer first aid, but the best hospital in the world couldn't help the man. Parker felt Roberts limp up beside him and lean on him for support. "Is it bad?" "I'll live." Parker nodded and keyed his radio: "Martin, Parker. Two men down up here, what's your status?"

Martin fired as he backed up; the monster in front of him kept firing and advancing. Hauer was struggling to drag Belleview, who was almost twice her size, to safety. Martin watched as Henrickson's head exploded in a puff of pink as a well aimed bust found its target. "We're getting the shit kicked out of us! This…Thing! It's not human!"

"Yhea, I know…" 'Ellison is going to blow a fuse! Sarah Connor was right.' Parker looked up when Agent Smith stepped in front of him "Is he ok?" Smith shook his head "Damn…Lets go. Smith, go left and slow him down. If you can."

Cameron noted a brief lull in the gunfire. That probably meant everybody was reloading, and the Terminators were regrouping. She could hear the surviving agents screaming as they tried to organize. Strips of cloth ripped from her shirt made makeshift bandages for John's back. He shivered in the cold, and another tear froze to her face. John looked up "Cameron…Don't cry. I'm fine okay. Just a little cold. Its okay." The gunfire outside started again, and John gritted his teeth.

Smith keyed his radio "The eyes! Shoot the freakin' eyes! It screws them up!" He poured more lead on, but the 9mm rounds from his MP-5 were too small to penetrate.

"Roberts! Gimme all the C4 you've got! I've got an idea!" They fumbled, and Parker jammed the fuse in. Smith screamed for a moment, but it was cut off. Quickly he climbed a shelf to look over. It, whatever it was, had smith by the throat. He lit the fuse, reached down, and jammed it against the metal exposed on the machine's neck. The blast that followed a second later severed its head. Parker was blown off the shelf by the explosion.

Even locked inside of the freezer, they heard the thud. "What the hell" John looked around "That sounded like C4?"

"Yes, over one pound."

"Damn. You think they killed it?"

"If the charge was in contact, yes. Definitely"

"Hey…It's quiet out there." John strained "I…I don't hear any more fighting."

As Agent Parker climbed back to his feet, he saw Roberts collapse. A quick check revealed that he had no pulse. There was no time to help him, and his injuries were probably too severe. He tried to radio any other surviving members of his team, but there was no response. He slapped a new magazine, his last one, into his rifle and headed for the back of the store.

The freezer door was ripped from its hinges, and Cromartie's red eyed locked on John's face. Cameron whipped her Glock from its holster, and opened fire. The pistol rounds bounced off of the terminator's metal skull. She tried to throw a punch, but Cromartie caught it. He knocked her legs out from under her, and threw a punch that drove her head into the concrete floor.

Cromartie stood from Cameron's motionless body, locking his gaze on John…

---

Coming Soon (Really soon because I'm not going to be a jerk and make you wait until next season to find out what happens like Fox does.) – Chapter Seven:

Cromartie goes in for the kill.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	8. Chapter 8

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

First, thanks to all of you for your support!

Anonymous: I've heard rumors, but I think its best to leave them as rumors.

John: Chapter 7 was a PITA to write, and so I don't blame you, I feel it could be better as well.

Amon-100: Machine? Why? No. You can expect an update at any time, I never sleep. You are correct on the C4. From what I understand, you need a high energy source to start it, like electrical blasting caps, or detcord. When I say "Light the fuse" I'm picturing a pull type fuse igniter with a short delay fuse used to set off a blasting cap or length of detcord. I just didn't feel like going into "How to build a T-888 killing bomb" right then. ;)

BlindAlley05: I'm not done with him yet. In the future he's going to have to be a tough soldier…Like his mom…But he might have to learn the hard way.

Tpolich: Well come on, I have to give you a reason to come back!

Tonight…

Chapter Eight

Agent Rachel Hauer regained consciousness under a pile of boxes. The last thing she remembered was…Whatever they were fighting…Backhanding her like she was a tennis ball and sending her flying. She was under a pile of boxes of canned soup; some had burst open and spilled cans all around her. She shoved the crates off and climbed onto her feet. It was quiet now, too quiet. She reached for her radio to find it shattered. After adjusting her helmet, which had been knocked out of place, Hauer reloaded her MP-5 as quietly as she could. She took a deep breath, it hurt, and looked around pondering her next move. John's screaming caught her attention.

"You fucking metal monster!" John aimed a kick for its knee, his foot bounced off without leaving a scratch. He lunged towards Cromartie with everything he had, his teeth sunk into the synthetic flesh covering the terminator's face.

Cromartie cleared the intruder from his personal space with a powerful punch to the chest, sending John flying across the room. Cromartie stepped on Cameron's motionless form as he approached John yet again. John aimed the heels of both of his feet for Cromartie's chest.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The kicks, powerful though they were by human standards, barely tilted the dense structure of the Terminator off balance. John flipped to his feet, taking his best fighting pose. He looked for an escape, he saw one, and maybe he could make it. He hesitated, looking back to Cameron. He paid for his hesitation.

Cromartie's fist shot out to grab John "So nice to see you again, John Connor. I never did dismiss you from class." Cromartie lifted John by his throat and squeezed. He was going to enjoy this. John's eyes started to roll back in his head.

---

Agent Hauer quickly 'sliced the pie' as she peered into the freezer. The…Thing…Had a boy by the neck, and another girl was crushed into the floor. She took a deep breath and lined her sights up on the back of its head "HEY UGLY!"

Cromartie, distracted by the copper and lead slugs bouncing off the back of his skull, threw John into the far wall of the cooler, where he crunched to a stop. John's face twisted as he screamed. Cromartie's iron fist reached out towards the agent.

Agent Parker was running at a full sprint towards the commotion, but he was too late. As parker skidded to a stop, Cromartie lifted Agent Hauer's MP-5 from her body, and pointed it towards the new target. Parker shouldered his rifle 'The face right? Eat this man!' They both opened fire. Parker's shots were well aimed from years of training and experience, but ineffective. Cromartie's shots found their target with mechanical precision.

Meanwhile, John had struggled back to his feet. He pulled Cameron from the floor, her eyes opened and darted around for a second as her systems rebooted. "Thank you, John. Stay down please." He collapsed, he couldn't refuse that order.

She stepped outside of the cooler, and searched for a weapon. She looked up and jerked a galvanized steel electrical conduit from the ceiling. As Cromartie turned, Cameron noted the weakened armor plate around his optical sensors. She jabbed the pipe like a spear towards his eye. Cromartie's systems processed the damage. One optical sensor was destroyed, and numerous secondary circuits behind it had been rendered operational. Time to escape before he was shut down by another blow. He turned, and slammed head first through the nearest wall to escape.

Parker realized he was on his back, staring at the ceiling. A young girl stepped over him. For a moment he thought she was an angel. Then he noticed the polished chrome under the scratches in her skin. "You…You're another one of those…things?"

"Yes I am."

He turned his head to look away from her "Are you going to kill me now?"

She considered it, but it was pointless, he was bleeding out already "No."

Parker's radio came to life, it was Agent Ellison: "What the hell is going on in there! Do you have John Connor yet? Where did the guy in the front of the store get that AK and what happened to the team in back?"

Cameron snatched the radio from Parker's vest, imitating his voice perfectly "John Connor isn't here; we must have followed the wrong guy. We have one more suspect in the building, heavily armed, with body armor. We need more time."

"You have fifteen minutes Parker!"

"Yes sir." She stood, and turned to John "Try to find some incendiary devices. Search the agents."

John pushed the pain to the back of his mind as he kneeled by one of the agents. Whoever she was, she looked tiny, even compared to Cameron. Lifeless blue eyes stared back at him, and a few messy wisps of short blonde hair dangled from under her helmet. John couldn't believe she had walked up to a terminator and started a fight. The idea of stealing equipment from her didn't sit right with him for some reason. His hand reached out and gently pulled her eyelids closed, before rummaging through her vest pockets. He found a pair of thermite grenades in one pocket. "Hey Cam" he tossed one to her "Will these work?"

She inspected it "Yes. Gather as many as you can."

They moved quickly, there was no time for finesse. They dragged the shattered remains of the first terminator into the back of the store. They stripped the flesh, piled it up, and doused it in charcoal lighter fluid. A lit book of matches started the blaze. They jammed a dozen thermite grenades into the T-888's structure, and quickly pulled the pins from the fuses. Soon there was nothing left. The only thing left to do was escape. They stole black uniforms, helmets, and body armor from the deceased members of the team. Nobody noticed as Cameron helped John limp to their jeep.

---

When Ellison entered the building, he found debris and bodies everywhere. Broken jars crunched under his feet, dented cans rolled around. The bodies of men, women, teens, and children decorated the isles. One by one he found the members of the first entry team. They were shot to hell and beaten to a pulp, he found one survivor. Most disturbing was what the survivor told him: Machine. Agent Parker had said just that one word before he went into cardiac arrest. He was sitting in his office, trying to think of a good way to explain it all to his boss. He was SURE that John Connor had been there. He had walked right past him too. The two agents that had been stripped of their clothes and gear showed how. He knew the face, he just had to find him again. But how…That could wait, he had to get his boss off his back for now.

---

Cameron helped John in, and carefully laid him down on the couch. She swept her hands over him gently to map out all of his wounds. The gunshot she knew about, it was mostly superficial. It would heal, but it would take time. She discovered several bruised ribs and a mild concussion. That was news to her. It was most likely Cromartie's work. "John, how do you feel?"

"Fucked up Cam…Really, really cold…He…He almost had me there."

"I'm sorry John. Its my fault."

"No, it isn't. I'll be fine. My back and head are killing me though."

"Would you like something for the pain?"

"Tylenol, and plenty of them."

She returned a moment later with four of the red and white pills and a glass of water. She knew that he could safely take more, but decided against it. John gulped the pills down. "Thanks Cam" He rolled onto his right side to reduce the pressure on his back and wounded ribs.

"You're welcome. Your wound should be disinfected."

"Huh?" He looked up groggily "Okay."

She nodded, gently removing the makeshift bandages. She sprayed a disinfectant from their first aid kit over the wound, and carefully taped a bandage into place.

"There, all done"

"Hmm…Thanks…" He pushed himself into a sitting position. "Cameron…"

"Yes, John?"

"You had me worried back there for a moment too. When you were…After he hit you."

"It's okay." He studied her face; it was ripped and scratched up in several places. He reached for the first aid kit. "Here…Let me take care of that."

"It's unnecessary."

"Oh no…You told me you could feel pain. So…Look just let me do this, please?"

"Okay…Thank you."

"You're welcome." John carefully set to work. He did his best to gently clean and bandage her wounds. She winced a few times as he pulled out deeply embedded pieces of concrete. By the time his mom came home, he had finished, numerous cuts and scrapes covered under a patchwork of bandages. Cameron was helping him to his room when she walked in the door. He tried to smile "Uhm, hi mom."

"John what the hell happened, why are you limping?"

"Its…Nothing really…Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

"Do I need to call off school for you?"

"Probably…I mean…I did get shot today."

"SHOT!" Her jaw dropped open "I thought tin man was here to prevent that!"

"Oh, she did. Look, I really want to sleep, can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Sure…Cameron, put him in his room and see me in the kitchen. We need to talk."

Cameron hesitated, looking to John "Mom, I'd rather she stay with me."

Sarah rubbed her face in her hands. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry, sleep tight okay?"

"Yhea mom, I will…Thanks…I'll tell you about it tomorrow."

---

Cameron gently set John down on his bed. She carefully slipped herself beside him. She could feel his muscles relax as he rapidly drifted off towards sleep. They tensed again for a moment as he shifted a little to face her "Cam, I want you to know, I love you. Always have and always will."

She ran her hand through his hair "I love you too John. Please, go to sleep, you need to rest."

"Yhea…I know…" She watched as John's eyes closed and his breathing became regular. In less than thirty seconds he was sleeping peacefully. She relaxed her body and closed her eyes. She slipped quickly into her own version of sleep.

---

Coming Soon  
Chapter Nine  
Dr. Connor prescribes rest and relaxation for John, and Cameron has to face her fears. 

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	9. Chapter 9

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

As always, I'd like to thank everybody who left a review for supporting me.

BenRG – I tend to agree, 12 gauge slugs would, even if they didn't penetrate, smash and bend up an endoskeleton. I would also bet that .308 caliber rifle fire would screw one up too. Ellison, this time, got lucky.

Tpolich – These last two chapters didn't go in depth into school. Consider it to be a normal "Boring day". Some of their school life will be coming up soon, however.

Tonight…

Chapter Nine

Cameron's systems could imitate sleep rather convincingly. Her chest rose and fell just as you would expect. Several sub programs could fake movements, facial expressions, and noises brought on by dreams. Another sub program would allow her to roll over or shift position occasionally to blend in perfectly. Actual dreams were beyond her though. John, future John, had often times told her of his, but she never had ones of her own. With power use cut back, her thoughts now moved like molasses on a cold day, compared to her normal self anyway. It helped extend her useful service life. She preferred to think of it simply as her life. An automated check reported her status:

Structural integrity: 100

Organic integrity: 94 (Healing)

Memory use: 00.5

CPU usage: 7

Primary Power Cell (Nuclear): Max 81 yrs, min 63 yrs remaining. 77 yrs predicted.

Secondary Cell: 25 - 1 week remaining with primary cell input, one hour alone.  
(Intake simple sugars to recharge secondary cell and prolong service life.)

Chassis: Model TOK-715, Type B, Version 37 (Unique. Imitating: Age 16. Adjust organic generation and regeneration to vary age as needed.)

Time since activation: 4 years, 348 days, 1 hour, 16 seconds

Operating Syst–

Cameron cancelled the report. She didn't need to have every detail of her mechanical nature, along with a reminder of her eventual death, dangled in front of her. She shut down most of her functions and waited for morning, or for John to move. Only a few parts of her primary programming remain active. One program neatly organizes information to reduce clutter, another monitors what little sensor input is collected, mainly that of hearing and smell. Ones and zeros flashed through her CPU, slowly collecting information in RAM.

Cameron awoke in a shattered city to utter darkness. She raised herself slowly from the concrete floor of the building she occupied, tiny pebbles and pieces of building material scattered everywhere. There was a hole in the wall nearby. Her eyes adjusted, she could see, but there was little to behold. Gray skies, fog in the distance, and rain. She stepped out of the frame of a nearby door; the door itself had been long gone. The rain was cold, it soaked into her clothes, and she felt its icy embrace all over her body.

'It's happened…Judgment day…How long have I been offline?' She couldn't tell. She noted a lack of any overlay within her field of view.

She slipped on loose rocks, reaching down to brace her fall. Broken glass cut her hand, and it bled. She had never seen that much blood come from one of her wounds before. It was nothing. She chose a direction, and she ran. Cameron ran for hours and hours on end, she looked up at countless towers, dark and shattered. She crossed over a decaying bridge, searched through an alleyway, and she called for John. There was no reply; there was no one there to reply. There was not even her echo to keep her company, only the rain…

Sarah jumped awake to screaming. Before she had time to think she had leapt from her bed, rolled across the floor, and come up with her Glock-17 in a proper two handed weaver grip on the opposite side of the room. She swept rapidly with the 9mm following her gaze. Nothing. John was yelling, and yelling in pain. She kicked her door open and ran.

John woke up when he hit the floor head first. Cameron had screamed, causing him to jump out of bed, bad move in his current condition. He tried to push himself up, but his muscles sent shocks of pain to his brain. He gritted his teeth, and fought to stand.

Sarah kicked John's door open, flicking on the light switch. "JOHN!"

"Aaargghhh" he shielded his eyes from the blinding light

"John what the hell is going on? What did that metal bitch do!?" She pointed her weapon directly at Cameron's head.

Cameron, meanwhile, sat upright in bed, frozen like stone. John studied her closely, sitting beside her on his bed. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hung open, and she was panting. John ran his hand over her forehead, smearing the sweat he had collected between his fingers.

Sarah circled around, mostly for a better angle "John, what are you doing?" She removed a hand from the grip of her pistol to gesture for him to back up "Get away from it."

"You mean her."

"Get away from _her_."

"No." John waved her off "Cam…Hey Cameron?" He gripped her shoulder and shook her gently.

Cameron's head snapped up and turned to look at John. He studied them, noting the tear welling up in one. "Uh…Are you…Feeling OK?"

"I…I don't know. I was in…You were…I don't understand."

"Uhm…" He looked up to see his mother standing guard with her pistol "Let's take this to the kitchen table, okay?"

John pulled a can of Coke out of the fridge. He offered one to Sarah, she waved it away. "Cam? How 'bout you?"

"No, thank you……Some tea would be nice." She smiled gently

"Sure…" John started rummaging through cabinets "Ah."

Sarah shot Cameron an inquisitive look "Tea? Terminators drink tea? Why the hell do you want tea?"

"Because."

"Rrrriiiight…So what was the screaming about missy?" Sarah threw her another look as Cameron took a deep breath.

Cameron explained what she had experienced. In her 'sleep mode', she was not designed or programmed to create artificial reality, and her internal technical reference held no answers. John let out a short grunt, tossing his empty can across the room into the trash bin.

"Have you wondered what it's like for us when we dream?" John hopped up to sit on the closest counter top.

"Yes. Every night, when I watch you." She looked up "This was…A dream?"

"Well, a nightmare. But, yes, a form of dream."

"Dreams were not part of my original programming."

"Was crying? Like when we were in the freezer?"

"Not originally."

"So you learned it. How you managed that, I'm not sure."

She looked down. "In the future, you often told me of yours. I think I understand now."

"Hold on a freaking minute." Sarah held up her hand "You're telling me the robot is _dreaming_ now? And crying?! What happened to never being able to do that!?"

John nodded "I have no freaking idea. I'm still too tired for this. What the hell time is it anyway?"

"Oh Two Sixteen hours and" Cameron clipped her phrase short "Fifteen past two. You do prefer less accurate but quicker indicat-"

"Yes." Sarah interrupted "And from now on you wear a watch, I'll explain later."

She ran her hands through her hair "Well, fine. Back to bed John, go ahead and sleep in."

"But mom, school!"

"But nothing…And quit bleeding on my counter."

He dabbed his fingertips to his back, the wound had reopened. "Damn it."

Coming Soon

Chapter Ten

Okay, now…I'd like just one last moment of your time. First of all, I want to tell you that 'I'm not dead! I feel happy! I'm getting better!'. I haven't been posting as regularly as I wanted. I'm suffering from writers block and food poisoning. Hang in there for another week or two and I should have some full chapters up.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	10. Chapter 10

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

Okay, yet again, thanks to all of you for your support. Sorry for updating so infrequently! I know this is short, but really it's just to give you something rather than leaving you hanging. I expect to be writing at a much more regular pace within 2-3 weeks.

Tonight…

Chapter Ten

John rolled out of bed, yawned, and stretched, minding his tender back. It wouldn't do him any good to pull it open again. He glanced at his clock; his first class was already underway. Cameron followed a second later, imitating his actions. He chuckled "Don't try to hard"

She tilted her head "Why?"

"Because…Sometimes you do something that girls shouldn't."

Cameron nodded, trying again and doing her best to look more 'cute' and 'girly'. "How was that?"

John grinned "Better, I guess."

Sarah was waiting for them at the kitchen table. "Good morning John"

"Morning" John cleared his throat "So, uhm, it looks like I'm going to miss my first class."

"I was planning on having you miss all of them."

"Yhea, but…You know. Absent gets me on the radar."

"Are you feeling up to it?"

"Yhea, I'm fine."

Cameron interrupted "Why must I wear a watch?"

"What time is it?"

"Six forty."

Sarah gestured around the room "Do you see any clocks in here?"

"No."

"How did you know what time it was?"

"My internal systems maintain a precise-"

"Stop." Sarah waved her hand "From now on, you wear a watch, look at it for at least five seconds before you answer, and round off to the nearest minute."

"Understood."

"So…Does this mean that I can go to school _now?_" John was practically dancing on the tips of his toes.

Sarah rested her head in her hands and sighed.

--

Agent Ellison strolled down the hallway of the hospital, looking for room 504. He found it easily, there were armed guards posted outside. Ellison entered, looking the patient from head to toe. Parker was in bad shape, but recovering quickly. He had somehow badgered or tricked the nursing staff into allowing the black BDU uniform of his entry team rather than a hospital gown. He was sitting upright in bed, flipping through channels on the TV. The doctors said he was suffering from an extreme form of post traumatic stress disorder. He ignored Ellison. Ellison cleared his throat "So, do you want to tell me what really happened in there now?"

"I told you. The objective wasn't there…Connor wasn't in the building, you were mistaken. And as crazy as it sounds there were humanoid robots under human flesh armed with AK-47's. Sarah Connor was right…"

"Bullshit! You let Connor go, I know it was him! I know I saw him! He MUST have been there!" Ellison waved his hand "And killer robots? Hah! Either you're insane, or you got hit too hard on the head."

"Bullshit! I know what I saw!"

"Easy tiger…Look let's just go over exactly what you think you saw and how Connor escaped…"

--

Outside one of the two guards turned to the other. This wasn't the first time Ellison came to Parker pushing for answers, and would probably not be the last. Ellison was in 'Cover your ass' mode. He had to convince his boss that it really was Connor, and find a way to explain the deaths of seven agents. "So…You think he's telling the truth?"

"Man I don't know…I mean…I've known him for years…We saw some bad shit together…"

"Yhea, and?"

"If Parker says he just shot somebody twice in the head and the guy is so high on meth he's still running around, he's telling the truth. And I saw that happen."

"Whoa, wait, that happened? I heard that as a rumor back in basic firearms training."

"It happened, I saw it, and Parker was doing the shooting. If Parker says he's being attacked by killer robots covered in human flesh…Well…He thinks he's telling the truth…And if he's telling the truth…Sarah Connor might have been too…"

"Well…Shit. We're boned."

"No shit 'we're boned'!"

--

Coming Soon

Chapter Eleven

John goes to school. No. Really.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	11. Chapter 11

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal"

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

Once again, I'd like to thank everybody for their input. Unfortunately, it looks as if I don't have the time right now for much writing (And won't for a while), so I'm going to have to wrap this story up quicker than I'd like.

Tonight…

Chapter Eleven

John found his desk and quietly took a seat, pulling out the proper book and notes for history class. Cameron followed suit, assuming a somewhat robotic pose. John watched her glance quickly at one of her classmates, and then imitate the girl's posture. She looked convincing enough. Even to him. He glanced sideways at her, being careful not to let others see him pay too much attention. Sometimes, like now, he wished that the truth were that there weren't killer robots, and that she was a hot girl who happened to like him. 'Well' John mused 'She could make a good argument that she is a hot girl, if a hot robot girl…'

At the front of the class room the teacher finished counting heads and organizing his notes for his lecture. "Okay, let's get started now please." He turned off the lights, and clicked the overhead on. "Hanoi, Khe Sanh, Hue. Does anybody here recognize those names? We all read the chapter right?"

Cameron stealthily surveyed the class. She quickly determined that none of them had read the chapter. John's hand went up at the same time as hers.

"Yes, Cameron."

"Hanoi is the capitol of Vietnam, formerly North Vietnam. Khe Sanh was a U.S. military base located in the South Vietnamese province of Quang Tri. Hue, located in Hue province, is most notable as the site of a major battle during the Tet offensive."

"Correct! Class, I hope by now you realize that today we will be learning about the Vietnam War. The conflict was very politically charged, and remains so today. Regardless of your political views, there are some good lessons to learn here about--"

John sighed; he could tell that there would be a research paper involved in this. And he hated research papers. Maybe Cameron would like to do two of them. 'No' he shook his head 'her writing style is far too……different…I'd get busted.' His focus came back to his notes. Next class would be worse. Math.

--

Cameron was perfect at math. She always was and always would be. John stole sideways glances at her paper as she quickly solved the problems assigned for their quiz. Trigonometry, calculus, quantum mechanics…She could understand all of it in the blink of an eye. Watching the machine work…No…Watching _her_ work fascinated him. A CPU was nothing more than a lightening fast version of the human brain.

Time was up before he knew it, the bell signaled the class to turn their sheets in and move to their next class. John was concentrating on filling in the last few answers as Cameron headed slowly to the door. Carlos was already asking him questions about homework. He didn't see the class bully bump into Cameron.

"Watch where you're going bitch." The girl shoved Cameron back

Cameron determined immediately that the best chance to stay unnoticed and avoid confrontation was to be submissive. "Excuse me." Cameron said meekly, hanging her head back backing up.

"That's right bitch. You know I should teach you a lesson for making all of us look stupid, you freak."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up bitch!"

The sound of a slap drew John's attention. Cameron had a red mark on her cheek.

"HEY!" everybody in the room jumped as John stormed over to the girls "You leave her alone."

"Make me!"

"The police could do that for me." He took Cameron by the hand "Come on…"

John ducked into the nurse's office for a moment to grab an icepack. The school was under expansion, and one of the hallways led to a dead end and a few empty classrooms. Out of sight, he looked at the bruise that was forming "Ouch…Here…Hold this on it for a while, that'll help with the swelling"

"I'll be okay." She could sense his stress

"I know…It's just…I can't explain."

"You don't need to." She pulled John into a hug "But…Thank you."

"Yhea…" How soft and warm she was would never cease to amaze him

--

John was relieved when his lunch hour finally rolled around. He quickly stuffed his papers into his bag and went for the door. Cameron followed him, but outside somebody grabbed her sleeve. John turned to see what the commotion was. A rather small and short blonde haired boy was looking up at Cameron. Judging from his jacket, adorned with various badges from football, track, and the like, he was a jock.

"Hey, nice to see you again babe" He grinned and winked at her

Her head tilted "Have we met?"

"Not properly, but I would _love_ to get to know you better some night"

"I'd rather not." She started to turn away, but was stopped when his hand grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, not so fast baby." He grinned again sliding his hand to rest low on her back and pull her closer "Come on" his other hand came to rest on her hip "I bet you could handle me, if you really tried."

Cameron smiled warmly back "Yes, maybe." She reached up and ran her hand over his chest "But you can't handle me." With one deft push, she shoved the boy into his crowd of friends, turned around gracefully, and walked away.

John laughed "Nice"

"Thanks." She giggled

--

John shuffled his way through the lunch line, picking out his favorites. Bacon cheeseburger, fries, and canned iced tea because there wasn't any Pepsi. Cameron trailed along behind him, picking out a few lighter options to, John assumed, blend in better with the other girls. He looked over the items on her tray.

"The cafeteria salad bar special eh?" He gestured with a nod of his head

"Yes"

"Rabbit food, huh?"

"Rabbit food?" she tilted her head

"It…Never mind, I'll explain later."

John found a seat with a few of his classmates, and Cameron, as always, sat down nearby. They carried on a conversation in snipped phrases between bites of food. Most of it was directed towards upcoming projects in shop classes, occasionally somebody brought up the latest episode of their favorite cartoon.

"So, that caddy run'n yet?"

"Nah, bad wiring, I think"

"Check the battery?"

"Duh"

"In backwards maybe?"

"I'm not an idiot."

"You sure?"

"Hey shut up!"

One of them caught John's attention "Hey man, pink slip coming this way" He pointed quickly.

John looked, eyeing the office aid walking towards him "Crap."

"Cameron Baum?"

"Yes?" She turned towards the voice

"Counselor Bell wants to see you in her office, immediately please."

She turned to John as the aid walked off "John?"

'Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!' "Err…Go on, I'll be right with you." He started to chug his drink while standing up "Sorry guys, she just…Well…"

"Yhea, yhea, we know."

--

Officer Bonds stepped off of the elevator and slowly wondered out. He turned to his right, noting unusual. To his left one of the rooms was guarded by two men, wearing body armor and helmets, and armed with assault rifles. That must be it. The guards eyed him, looking him from head to toe, and taking a close look at his badge number, as he neared.

"Uh, hi there…I'm Officer Bonds, here to see Jim?"

"We weren't told to expect your visit. Let's see your ID." The guard held out a hand

"Ah, here" Bonds fumbled, finding the proper cards.

"Okay…Hmm…Mike call up Ellison and see if he okayed this—"

"Look…I'm an old pal of his, from the academy…I just want to say hello real quick."

The guards exchanged glances "I guess that would be okay…Give Mike your equipment belt, surrender all weapons, and I'll pat you down"

Sonny stripped his equipment and submitted to the pat down, and was finally allowed to enter…He tapped on the door

"Come on in."

Sonny pushed the door open "Hey Jim!" he entered, smiling at the man on the bed, and then turning around to close the door. When he looked back, he found Parker on his feet with a Glock pistol in hand…

--

"Who the fuck are you?" Parker circled the officer "How do you know my name? And how did you get in here? I was told not to expect any visitors."

"Sonny, Sonny Bonds, I'm a cop. I was working perimeter security for the…incident you were involved in…I was there when the paramedics loaded you into the bus, that's when I heard your name. I got in by…lying my ass off…What's with the gun? .40SW?"

"Glock-21…45ACP…Not my usual carry gun but lethal and less likely to go through you and into the senile guy in the next room. Now what do you want?"

"What's with all the security?"

"My boss thinks I'm crazy and might try to escape so he doesn't want me to leave, so those guards are supposed to keep me in. My boss' boss thinks my boss is incompetent, that I suffered some brain damage that makes me believe in robots and that I might be an important witness in a mob trial or something, if they can keep the supposed brain damage under wraps, over my shot up team. So he doesn't want people getting in to kill me. Twisted enough?"

"Oh plenty…" Bonds nodded "So…You really believe in those killer robots?"

"Oh that's it, get the fuck out before I shoot you or call those guys in here to remove you." Parker settled the sights of his pistol squarely on Bonds' chest.

Bonds decided to cut to the chase: "I believe you. One of them killed my partner."

"What?" He relaxed his grip on the weapon just a bit

"I've seen them too. We were headed to lunch and there was this guy in the parking lot with a shotgun. I must have dumped a hundred rounds into him to no effect. When backup arrived I told them he had heavy body armor on, and I shot him so many times because I was missing as I was running to cover."

"Great, so you've seen them too. Woo hoo."

"You know the kid you were after?"

"Yhea, what of it?"

"Well…He was there with a few other kids his age, and I bet I know which school they went to. And I bet your boss knows too. And I bet one of those…Freaky robot things…Is going to follow your boss right there. And he seems to be the common denominator here so they must be after him, right?"

"Fuuuuck…"

--

Coming Soon

Chapter Twelve

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	12. Chapter 12

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal"

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

It's good to know that I've still got some readers. Once again, sorry for the hurried finish this is going to have and the infrequent updates.

Tonight…

Chapter Twelve

Agent Parker paced back and forth. Bonds could see the gears turning in his head. "Okay…I need to get the hell out of here…Look you drove here right? In your squad car I assume?"

"Well, yes."

"Where is it?"

"Out in the front lot…Why?"

"Have it by the front doors in ten minutes."

"What?"

"Do it! We have to take some kind of action or else that kid and, a bunch of his friends, might die."

"But those guys out there have MP-5's! Full auto!"

"Yhea and I'm sure you've got some body armor. I'm wearing two layers of cotton, how do you think I feel about getting shot? But look, nothing's going to happen."

"Okay…Yhea what the hell."

--

John followed behind Cameron as she walked into the schools office. She found the door by the correct placard, Counselor C. Bell, and knocked.

"Come in"

"Good afternoon"

"Ah, Cameron! Good afternoon...Who's that?"

"John, my brother."

John smiled "Hey. Sorry, she just, ah, you know, I figured I'd better tag along."

"That won't be necessary. John, you can wait outside." She gestured to the door

Cameron smiled politely "Would it be okay if he stayed? He's just looking out for me."

Counselor Bell sighed "I guess…This is a breach of privacy policy but since you're okay with it. I called you here to talk a little bit about an incident I understand you had earlier today with another girl. Would you like to tell me about it?"

--

Bonds finished buckling his duty armor and belt on, and tapped on the door, said "Have a good one Jim!" waved to the guards as he walked away.

The taps were Parker's signal. He counted off thirty seconds before pulling open the door "Hi"

"Can we help you?"

"Yes, I'd like to go grab something for lunch now."

"Bill, take him to the cafeteria."

Parker walked his armed guard behind him, all the way to the elevator. The instant the doors closed he turned and attacked. He tapped the main and first floor buttons while pushing 'Bill' to the ground. Bill was much smaller than himself, so he was easy to pin to the floor "Listen up mother fucker" Parker shoved the muzzle of his pistol into the man's face "You do what _I_ say or I _will_ kill you. Do you understand me?"

"Y-Y-Yes!"

"Strip."

--

Cameron tilted her head slightly "Incident?"

"Yes, you got in a fight with one of the other girls, right?"

Cameron shook her head "It wasn't really a fight."

"Go on."

"She must have thought I was trying to offend her. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

John tried to explain "It's really not a problem…"

--

When the doors opened at the first floor, a few startled patients watched a nude man throw a set of black clothes, socks, a pair of underwear, and two boots, out of the elevator.

When the car reached the main floor, Parker threw the naked man, who was now also unconscious and bleeding from an impact wound to the head, out of the car. The MP-5's tactical sling adjusted to fit him correctly, but the man's body armor and helmet were too small. He calmly walked out; the unzipped body armor and unbuckled helmet making him look more like something out of a war movie than an FBI agent, and slid quickly into the waiting police car.

"Drive."

"Where to?"

"My place first, I need to pick up some gear that fits me. After that we're going to pick up some other stuff down at the FBI branch building in town."

"Right"

The sound of a growling stomach filled the car "Hospital food sucks."

--

John would have slammed his head on the desk if he could have. Bell was being typically long winded… He winced again inside, he kept dancing around in his web of lies to cover his tracks…Hoping he wouldn't tangle himself. There had to be a way out…

"Ah, Ms Bell?"

"Yes, John?"

"Uhm, we're missing our lunch period right now…We kinda had to leave our food on the table and…"

"Oh!" she glanced at her watch "I'm terribly sorry…Here, let me write you a note…Take the next period for lunch and go ahead and grab some fresh food, yours is probably cold by now." She scribbled madly on a piece of stationary "Would you have time to talk to me after your last class today?"

Cameron shook her head "I'm sorry, but, no, I don't think so."

"That's okay, perhaps tomorrow. Here" She handed John the note

"Thank you" John smiled and stood, Cameron followed him silently.

--

Bonds watched as Parker dashed around his apartment. A sloppy Ham sandwich dangled from his mouth as he walked past, carrying his helmet and vest in one hand, and G3 rifle in the other.

"Come on" Parker gestured as he spoke around part of his sandwich "Lets get moving."

"Uh, right." Sonny scratched his head "And…We're just gonna walk in the front door of the FBI building?"

"No, back door. Don't worry, I know people."

--

John waved the note as he passed through the line, with more full trays. He led Cameron to an empty table to find a seat.

"Ugh…Man I hate that kind of crap"

"It is unpleasant."

"Yhea. Well hey we've got another hour long class and we're outa here. And tomorrow's Friday isn't it? Cool."

An angry voice broke into their conversation "Hey bitch! You little snitch, turning me in for shit I didn't do!"

John looked up 'Not this _again_…'

--

Parker tapped gently on the fire exit doors at the back of the FBI building downtown "Katie? Hey Katie?"

"Jim?" Just a whisper, barely heard through the metal doors

"Yhea, we're here, lemme in."

The door pushed open and Parker waved Bonds in before he slipped inside and into the woman's embrace "God Jim, I thought you were dead…They wouldn't tell us about you…"

"Long story. Look I told you I needed your help…We need to talk while we get some stuff together."

"Okay."

"Oh, by the way" he pointed to the police officer with him "This is Sonny, he's going to help. And this" Jim gestured back to Katie "Is a close friend of mine, Kathryn Walker."

Sonny shook her hand "Pleased to meet you Kathryn"

"Call me Kate." She smiled warmly "So…We're going to go save a kid from one of our own tactical teams and some other bad guys?"

"Pretty much, yes..."

"You're not telling me something."

"That part…It doesn't matter"

"Hey I'm coming with you" she poked him in the chest "You said you wanted my help and here I am!"

He grimaced "Look, Katie…I can't risk loosing you in something like this…"

"Oh hell no" She jabbed him in the chest harder "I may be a girl but I can still kick ass!"

Sonny spoke up "No offence, Katie, but I'm sure you can really handle what we're up against here, besid—Whoaa!"

She was small, but strong, and quickly threw the experianced officer and SWAT team veteran to the floor, pinning him with one hand "Three more inches and your arm breaks. And I never said _you_ could call me Katie."

"_Sorry ma'am! Ahh! Kate! Sorry Kate!"_

Jim laughed "Okay, okay, you can come with…Just…Wait till you hear what you're getting into…"

Just under fifteen minutes later, the three were dressed head to toe in tactical gear, Heckler and Koch G3A3 .308 caliber battle rifles slung across their bodies, Kevlar vests and helmets, leather combat boots, pockets stuffed with extra magazines loaded with black-tipped armor piercing rounds, flash-bangs, C4 door breaching charges, everything they could possibly need for a fight against the most heavily armed terrorist. But not a terminator.

"Evidence room, right here" Parker pushed the door open "One stop shopping for illegal firepower." He quickly pulled various exhibits from the shelves. Modern USGI fragmentation grenades, M-72 light antitank weapons, and a few WWII era German army stick grenades.

They crammed grenades into their pockets and secured a an M-72 for each of them. "Everybody ready?" Parker surveyed the group, Katie still looked shell shocked…But there was no time for that.

--

Coming Soon

Lucky Thirteen

And then it went to hell.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	13. Chapter 13

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Notes to Reviewers:

No! I haven't abandoned this one! I'm terribly sorry for not finishing this sooner everyone! My former part time position became a full time position, and I just never got around to finishing this. I'll have to wrap it up faster than I wanted, but I'll give you some kind of ending at the least. Again, sorry guys, thanks for reading and reviewing as always!

Tonight…

Chapter Thirteen

Sometimes you get lucky.

---

John glared up at the teen "Look, nobody told them anything. Get the hell out of here."

"Hey don't be trying to tell ME what to do!"

"You should leave." Cameron deadpanned "It would be for the best"

"Shut your bitch ass up!"

"If you keep talking to her like that I'll make sure you regret it" John took Cameron by the arm "Lets just get to class..."

John turned down the main hallway to take him to his final class. He looked ahead, and saw the silhouettes of several helmeted heads peering around the bushes framing the door at the far end. "Uh, hey Caaaammm…"

"I see it John. Go to class. We have other problems too."

John watched a janitor reach into the trash can he was pushing, and lift out an AK-47 "Caaammmm...Terminators!"

"That would be our other problem."

Over his head, the loudspeakers clicked "Students this is a code red. Please move to the nearest class room and stay inside."

A teacher grabbed John by the arm "Hey! You two! Get in here!"

Cameron pushed him into the room "Go!"

"You too miss! Get in here!" He jerked her into the room before she had time to protest.

John shuffled to the back of darkened classroom, keeping his head down as he went. Just as he reached his seat gunfire shattered the silence.

---

As the first search team entered the building to secure John Connor, a janitor pulled an AK-47 on them. They ordered him to drop it, but he opened fire with the precision only a computerized fire control system could achieve. The terminator, ever thorough, walked close to finish the one that survived the initial exchange...

---

John heard the finishing shot. It made his stomach turn a little bit. Cameron slipped an arm around him as they huddled together under a desk. John's mind was on overdrive, trapped like a rat, with terminators here to kill him and the FBI ready to haul his ass to jail. 'Oh crap…Mom! No…They can't have found her, she's too smart for that, isn't she?'

---

"Crap…" Bonds eyed one of the dead men "I think I knew this guy. Looks like we got here a little late huh?"  
"Can you help them?"  
Walker shook her head "Nobody can."  
"Great. Okay…Lets start sending classrooms out the doors we came in…" Parker waved them forward, coming to the first door before quickly jimmying the lock "FBI! Everybody up, out the door to the left and exit the building!"

---

"Cam, you had better have a way out of here." John held her close, keeping his voice at a whisper "Maybe, pull one of those Cromartie stunts and jump through the wall? Anything? Please? Cause the gunfire is getting closer…"  
"As a last resort, maybe…But doing that would expose my endoskeleton where the…Flesh was ripped off…"  
"Ah...Then we can't blend in and…well…That really hurts, dosen't it?"  
"Shhhhhhh" She ran her hand through his hair "Trust me, I saw somebody out there who might help us, and we just have to wait."  
"Great…Hope he hurries up, hm?"

---

Coming to the midpoint of the hallway, a second hall split off in a T. Parker carefully 'sliced the pie' around the corner, jerking back at the sight of a man with glowing red eyes staring back into his own. "Hell…We're spotted."  
"How many?"  
"One, I think. Set 'em to full auto and get ready. Aim for the eyes, seems to be a soft spot."

---

The T-850 series terminator was just preparing to round the corner and open fire when the grenade bounced to a stop at its feet…

---

"There's supposed to be an earth shattering k-"

**KABOOM!**

"COME ON GUYS!" Parker jumped out, spraying the stunned terminator with a hail of lead. His partners joined him, the combined fire from three 7.62 NATO caliber rifles, directed at the T-850's weak points, was more than enough firepower to render it nothing but a twisted piece of scrap metal. A second and third machine rounding the corner at the far end of the hallway also fell victim to the barrage of rifle rounds.  
"Damn, they weren't so tough!" Bonds kicked at the downed robot's head "Don't like big bullets do you!?"  
"HOOAH!" Walker hefted her rifle to the vertical in one hand, and pumped her fist in the air "KICK ASS!"  
"Sometimes…Sometimes you get lucky. Maybe it's our lucky day." Parker reloaded his near empty weapon "C'mon, let's keep going"

---

John flinched "What was that!?"  
"A grenade" Cameron pushed herself to her feet. "Follow me, now."  
"Sounds like they're right outside the door…"  
Her head tilted "Yes, but they're the good guys." She strode to the front of the class, waiting to throw the door open.  
"Hey, wait, listen…"  
"I don't hear anything."  
"Exactly…Wonder who won"  
"Wait here, John" She low crawled towards the door along the wall, hoping to surprise any terminator that might open the door.

---

"Quiet…Slow down…I don't like this." Parker crept up to the next door, waving Bonds to clear it.  
"Okay" He pulled the door open slowly "Police, c'mon out kids. Is there a John Connor in here?"  
"Me?" A short blonde boy slowly raised his hand  
"Jim?"  
"Not him. Wrong one" He pushed the student out the door "Go on kid, that way down the hall, everybody else follow him. Lets move to the next door guys."

---

Parker slowly twisted the knob, and slipped his way into classroom. Suddenly, powerful hands gripped his vest and threw him on his back. He looked up to see Cameron kneeling on top of him and ready to punch him in the face. "Pleasure to meet you too."

Coming _Very_ soon (No kidding this time!):  
Chapter Fourteen

And sometimes you don't.

Thank you for reading! Your reviews, questions, and comments are always welcome!

-- 13percenter


	14. Chapter 14

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.

May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.

I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Dear Reviewers:

Okay guys and gals, here we go again. First, I'm getting more into John and Cameron for this chapter and the next one. I'm also going to try to actually explain something I've noticed, or noticed a lack of, in the post-judgment day environment. We've seen plasma or laser weapons in use, conventional weapons in use, nuclear weapons, even experimental biological weapons, but maybe they forgot something? Hmmm…

Tonight…

Chapter Fourteen

And sometimes you don't.

---

After evacuating the students from the classroom, the group quickly made some introductions and shook hands. John quickly, very quickly, explained the terminators and Skynet to what some might later consider the three smartest, or three luckiest, ad-hoc resistance fighters. John thought it was probably only luck that they had been winning. But now, with more detailed information, they should really rip apart any T-800 series they bumped into.

"So, you aren't human."  
"No." Cameron deadpanned  
"Then why can we trust you?" Bonds sized the 'girl' up  
"That's not the point." John broke in "Thanks for your help but I think we should just part ways. Everybody who gets involved with me gets killed."  
"Yhea, well, if all this it true…We might not matter." Parker shrugged  
"We should go, we don't have time." Cameron dragged John towards the door  
"Look, the FBI is out there and-" he saw a shadow in the window  
*Crash!*  
*Bonk!*  
*Bonk!*

"GRENADE!"  
"DOWN!"

*Pooof-Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

"What the hell?" Wade pushed herself off the ground slowly  
Bonds sniffed the air "Tear gas? FBI?"  
John saw Cameron's face twist in horror "No! Terminators! It's VX, and several oth-"  
"MASK UP!" Jim jumped to his feet, threw the canister back through the window, and started yanking his gas mask from its bag on the back of his vest  
"What the hell!?"  
"NERVE GAS!"  
"Shit we don't have masks! We didn't expect to need them!"

*Bonk!*  
*Boink!*  
*Bonk!*

"SONNY! THROW IT OUT AGAIN!" – "I GOT IT! I GOT IT!"  
Parker turned back to John and Cameron "Fuck it then, we're dead anyway!" he thrust the mask to John "Put it on NOW! NAAK kits are in the mask bag!"  
"John we have to go! You have to leave NOW!" Cameron dragged him towards the door again  
"Wait!" Parker reached into his pocket for his wallet "Apartment 3B, theres gear in the spare room, theres a government credit card in this with no limit. Take and use whatever you need to kick some metal-man ass for us! Here take this, we'll hold them here! Squad car twenty three, that way, keys in ignition!"

Parker quickly slid out of his body armor, and handed his rifle to Cameron, and his vest, pistol, and helmet to John, before pushing them out the door. "Always thought it would be Russians or the Chinese I'd need that stuff for…Hah…Guess I was wrong"  
"You were. Goodbye" Cameron shook his hand "And good luck."  
"Gonna need it."  
Sonny threw the canister back through the broken window a third time, with a grenade following it this time. Two more canisters crashed through other windows though, filling the room steadily with VX gas.  
"Kate, rifle!" Jim motioned, she threw it to him "Have you got 2-PAM Chloride in that kit?" He laid a burst into a terminator as it tried to leap through a broken window  
"Pammy what now!?" She stirred through her medical bag "No, no I don't!"  
"METAL SCUM!" Sonny tossed a grenade to slow down a second terminator  
"Well, crap! Atropine!?" "Yes!" "Inject us all! Quick!"  
"How much!?" She flipped the cap off a syringe  
"I don't know! Lots! I need a spare mag here!"  
"Catch!" Katie tossed one from her vest. More gunfire rang out. The room filled with more gas. The terminators regrouped and attacked again.  
"Hey Jim!"  
"Yhea Sonny?"  
"We're going to die here aren't we?"  
"Probably, but maybe we can take some of them bastards with us!"  
"Sounds like a good way to die! GET SOME!"

---

Cameron dragged John rapidly down the hallway and out the door. "Stay close John!"  
"Cam, please don't kill them!" John tried to keep up, finding it hard to breathe within the mask, as she dragged him behind her while quickly pulling a grenade from a pocket on his armor vest  
"I'll try, for you." She began blasting their way through swarms of FBI agents and SWAT teams. Incoming gunfire sliced and ripped through her flesh, then bounced off of her hardened coltan alloy endoskeleton. Resistance, all human on this side of the building, peeled away from her path like skin from a banana. She jerked John closer to herself, both to protect him and better reach for a spare magazine. "Almost there John!"

---

The terminators outside fell back and decided to wait. Without masks, anyone stuck inside the building would be dead or incapacitated very shortly. They could close in and confirm John Connor's death. Inside, three figures lay almost motionless on the floor. Without proper protective gear, and a desperate attempt at treatment, they had only slowed their deaths down. Two terminators, gleaming metal showing through shredded flesh, finally climbed into the classroom and went to the nearest figure "Where is John Connor?"  
The man grinned, laughed like someone possessed, and gave the machine the finger before passing out one last time "Tactical error. Humans subjected to organophosphates will rapidly pass a stage where they may be interrogated. Widespread use of such agents will likely leave few or no prisoners. This is undesirable. Log incident for future reference. Continue search" "Affirmative."

---

After throwing John into the squad car, Cameron raced away from the scene. She pulled the car temporarily into a parking lot at a Wal-Mart store. "John are you feeling OK? You can take the mask off now."  
John yanked the gas mask off his head, stuck his head out the window and vomited "Cam, oh god I feel horrible! I, I, I can't stop, ugh, throwing up!"  
"It's from the gas. Your exposure isn't lethal. However, I need to inject you with the antidote kit." She pulled one of the Mk.1 NAAK (*see note below) kits from the mask bag on the back of his vest.  
"Do it."  
"This will hurt…I'm sorry." She squeezed his hand  
"It's OK." John squeezed back.  
Pressing the first auto injector to John's thigh, she injected a dose of 2-PAM Chloride. She followed with the Atropine injector included in the kit. John squirmed and grimaced, but that was it. "You'll need the second kit in fifteen minutes, the third half an hour from now for best effect."  
"Ach…Okay." He rubbed the injection site "You'd think they could try a smaller needle."  
"You need to strip." Cameron reached for his belt buckle  
"Whoa, what! Wait!" John pushed her hand away, quickly  
"We need to decontaminate you soon."  
"First lets go home, OK?"  
"Bad idea to return there so soon, most likely there will be a trap. We should decontaminate you soon."  
"Not HERE…Wait." He dug into the wallet he'd been given. Parker's drivers license told him the man's home address. He gave it to Cameron "Let's go."  
"But-"  
"But nothing. Look you can 'decontaminate' me any way you want, once we get there. OK?"  
"Deal." She nodded

Five minutes later, Cameron quietly broke the lock on the apartment's front door, entering with her rifle leveled to clear the apartment. John pushed the door closed and slid the simple bolt latch across to keep it shut, maybe nobody would notice while they were still there. "It's clear. We're safe. I doubt any terminator would look here."  
John looked around, the place needed to be dusted and the carpet could use a vacuuming, but overall not bad "Right, he said he had some goodies in here for us."  
"Ah ah ah, first things first Johnny boy! Strip and get in the shower!"

In the bathroom, John stepped into the shower, pulled the curtain, and yanked his contaminated clothes off. Cameron stuffed them into a trash bag. "Scrub off well, I'll be back in a bit"  
"Okay" John waited for the water to warm up, turned the shower head on, and then took a deep breath as he tried to relax for a moment, but it was useless, his neck was too stiff. He knew He'd have to try to get back in contact with his mom soon. They would have to move now, no choice. When John finished washing, he traded places with Cameron. He couldn't help but pay attention to her body when he found her already in her birthday, or built day, suit waiting outside the shower. Even then, the multiple wounds in her skin, showing bare metal, made him grimace. They had to be painful.  
"There are clothes on the counter" She called from in the shower "It's the best I can do."  
"Thanks, better than nothing" He slipped into the T-shirt and khaki cargo pants, clearly cut for a man larger and much taller than him. "Cam…"  
"Yes?"  
"When you're done let's get those wounds bandaged up, okay?"  
"…Okay."

Meanwhile, John found his cell phone, and dialed Sarah's number.  
"Mom?"  
"John! Are you safe? You need to get away from here."  
"Yhea, I'm safe. Long story, but, I had some help. Are you OK?"  
"Yes, for now. FBI raided our house; I just got out in time. I'm keeping a low profile right now. You should go, get away from here."  
"I don't think we need to do that. Where are you?"  
"Don't worry about that John, just stay safe. Someone might be following me."  
"I can't just leave you!"  
"You might have to. We've been over this before."  
"Look…What if we give you a few days to shake anybody who's tailing you and then meet somewhere else later, can we do that?"  
"Only if you promise to keep your head down and run if I get picked up."  
"Yhea, I will."  
"I have to go. Bye."  
"Bye" He flipped his phone shut. Cameron was just stepping out of the shower.

---

Coming Soon:  
Chapter 15

All good things

Thanks for reading guys!  
-13percenter

Technical notes:  
As mentioned in this story, VX is a nerve gas, known more properly a nerve agent or organophosphate. The compounds 2-PAM Chloride and Atropine are used as treatments. The Mk.1 NAAK or Nerve Agent Antidote Kit contains an auto injector, like a spring loaded syringe, of each compound. Atropine alone can help treat poisoning by nerve gas, but is much more effective when combined with 2-PAM Chloride, as the two agents work in two separate ways to counteract the poisoning.


	15. Chapter 15

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.  
May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.  
I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Jarvey: Same here, it scares the hell out of me. Personally I never been nerve gassed. I have been tear-gassed. The masks work, but sometimes you feel like you're sucking your air through a straw.

Jameron4eva: I'm going to take a guess that you're also a John/Cameron type (I'm going _way_ out on a limb here huh? Hehe…) don't worry; we've got _plenty_ of that to squeeze in at the end here!

Everybody else, thanks again as always for reviewing and letting me know that people actually are reading and enjoying my work!

Tonight…

Chapter Fifteen  
All good things

---

Cameron, wrapped only in a towel, calmly walked over to John and sat by him on the couch. She set the first aid kit she'd been carrying on the table. He was still staring.

"John?" She tilted her head just a bit "Is everything OK?"

"Yhea, mom is OK. The FBI raided our house."

"That means that terminators will probably not leave a trap there then."

"Uh huh"

"John" she smiled slightly "It's not nice to stare."

"Yhea…What?…Oh! Sorry!" He cleared his throat and started stirring through the kit. Tweezers, adhesive bandages, gauze, antiseptic, and a tube of Neosporin complete with a topical anesthetic to dull the pain. Perfect. "Right, let's get you fixed up."

"Why do you do this for me?" She tilted her head "Sarah was hardly willing to use a dirty pair of pliers to pull bullets out of me. But you've always treated my wounds like you would a human."

"Ah…well…" He shrugged "I don't know. It doesn't matter. Because it feels right I guess. Call it a guy thing. I mean, I know you can feel pain, and you took those hits for me. It's the least I can do in return."

"I see, thanks for explaining…And thank you for caring."

"It's nothing, really." He stood up "Why don't you lie down, lets start with your back."

John set to work carefully. A few still held fragments of copper or lead, which he gently removed with the tweezers. He gently swabbed the wounds with antiseptic to prevent any infection, applied the ointment, and did his best to patch a bandage evenly over each wound.

"Okay, that looks good…Now for the other side." He moved back a bit to let her roll over. They exchanged an awkward grin and laugh before she placed her arms across her chest

"Men!" she rolled her eyes at John before laughing at him

"Hah!" John barked "You've been spending too much time around Sarah I think."

A few minutes later, he had collected a pile of bloody bullets and rags on the coffee table, and finished his work. Cameron turned the TV on to a network news channel, to discover that the shootout at their school had only been recently ended. News helicopter footage showed a group of over half a dozen T-800 series slaughter nearly a hundred police officers and FBI agents, before they met their fiery end at the hands of a platoon of National Guard Abrams tanks and a company of infantry with anti tank weapons.

"We now take you live correspondent Jane Dough on scene"

"Thank you Tom, as you can see, four Army National Guard M1 Abrams tanks arrived just moments ago and put an end to the shootout. We're going to talk to the commander of this unit now. Soldier, soldier, what can you tell us about what happened here today? Whats your name?"

"I think 'Major' or 'Sir' will do for now Ma'am."

"What happened here Major? Clearly the shooters look like they aren't human. Preliminary reports also say they may have been aided by a trio of rogue FBI agents?"

"Rogue? I don't know about that. It looks like three of them went down swinging though. We're still trying to ID the bodies."

"What about the shooters?"

"I could tell you but I would have to kill you."

"Come on Major, surely you can tell us _something_, there's no need to be over the top now!"

He pulled his M9 pistol from its holster "Who's being over the top?"

"Ah…Back to you in the news room Tom."

The screen cut back to another clip of the four tanks as they arrived on scene. One terminator, metal shining obscenely from under its torn skin, marched toward the platoon of tanks. The lead tank's turret rotated slightly, and the gun barrel flashed. Instantly, the approaching terminator disappeared in an explosion, a smoking crater left where it had once stood.

"Dayum! I have GOT to get me one of THOSE!" John clapped his hands while grinning at the TV like a mad man. Then he remembered how many people were killed that day.

"Well…At least they stopped them, huh Cam?" John sighed, still more people dead, all for him

The anchor continued "Thanks for that report Jane, we hear one shooter is still at large though" -"OH COME ON! GIVE ME A BREAK!" John threw the remote at the TV - "so we'll keep following this story."

"I should see if there are any ID papers or anything else still left at the house. And my jacket is still in my room."

"We'll get it back, don't sweat it…" John patted her on the back. She was a little obsessive with that thing, but who's he to judge. John shrugged. Kinda like Uncle Bob and his sunglasses.

Cameron got up and walked to the bedroom to find clothes for herself. She returned with a well oversized pair khaki pants and a T-shirt. John sized her up "Wow. We're dressing alike now?"

"There isn't much choice." She idly played with the too baggy T-shirt "He wasn't exactly into variety I guess."

"Wow…Okay…Man the FBI must really screw with your head…"

"I found awards, letters of commendation. He was a Marine, then Special Forces, before FBI. The kind of guy you want to recruit for the resistance by the way" She walked back to the bedroom "I also found what he wanted us to have." John followed.

The second bedroom reminded John of something that his mom would have put together. Body armor, helmets, MRE's, medical supplies and ammunition. Cameron walked over to a gun safe and broke it open. Inside she found some Glock-17's, a pair of M4A1 carbines, and an M16A4 fitted with an M203 grenade launcher. "Sweet" John hefted the rifle, before passing it to Cameron "Ohhh baby, full auto weaponry! Tight!"

"Very tight" Cameron grinned while inspecting the grenade launcher "This should be _very_ effective against any 800 series."

"What's this?" John kicked a strange ammunition can on the floor

"Experimental armor piercing ammunition. I'd prefer something larger than 5.56mm but this should do." Cameron set the box down on a table top with her collection of other equipment. John's stomach growled loudly while he looked over one of the carbines. "Heh…Haven't eaten in a while have we?"

"No" Cameron shook her head "I'm hungry too, starving in fact."

John raised an eyebrow "Starving? That's a first."

"Organic nutrients speed the regeneration of my skin, which…Has recently taken some…Damage. So, yes" she nodded "Starving."

"Huh, well…" He pulled the credit card from Parker's wallet "How about we let Uncle Sam buy us some nice new clothes that actually fit, and something fancy for dinner. I figure it's the least he can do for ruining my freaking life. We can call a taxi I guess."

"Good idea John." She held up a pair of car keys "But I don't think he'll mind if we borrow his car."

"Ugh" John shivered "Quit reminding me about that…"

"Sorry" – "So'kay…C'mon, let's go."

"In a moment. I'll have to dispose of our stolen police car, as well as the clothes and weapons we brought with from the school. The serial number on the weapons he gave us is definitely on file."

---

An hour later, John had a nice shirt and pair of pants that fit him correctly, and Cameron had a simple skirt and blouse, a must due to her injuries. Thankfully none were in locations that would leave them exposed by such clothing; the agents shooting at her had been kind enough to aim for center mass. They opted for dinner at a steakhouse located around the corner, and requested a seat in the far corner of the restaurant, just to be safe.

"Good evening, sir and ma'am. You'll find our specials on the back. Personally I recommend the salmon, it's very good. Something to drink?"

"Water, please" Cameron smiled

"Okay, and you sir?"

"Ah, iced tea for me." John shrugged

"Very well, I'll be back in a moment."

"So, have anything in particular you've got a taste for?" John flipped through his menu.

"I'd like to try some steak I think." She scanned rapidly over the menu "Or maybe lobster, I can't decide…I've never had either. Honestly, I really haven't had much to eat ever."

"What the hell!" John shrugged "Let's get both and share. You only live once, and your probably won't ever have the government buy you dinner more than once either!"

"So" John cleared his throat "I guess we might as well make a date out of this. Obviously you already know the basics about me."

"I have detailed…" She tilted her head "Yes, I do."

John shook his head "Anyway, that leaves quite a bit I don't know about you. Like, how did you get your name?"

"We chose it together, or, your future self did."

"We did?" John leaned a little closer

She nodded "We talked a little bit, and you asked if I had a name. Naturally I didn't, I only had a number. So you suggested names until we found names I liked. It was the first time I had a choice."

Their waiter walked up and clicked his pen "Ahem, so, are you ready to order?"

John ordered their dinner, adding salads to the list when Cameron insisted that he should add at least one healthy item to his diet that night. John was glad to finally eat something other than his mother's poor attempts at cooking, and Cameron savored each bite like it was her last. For all she knew, that might very well be true.

"Well" John paused, holding the door for Cameron "I really don't want to sleep in a dead guy's apartment, no matter how nice he was to us."

"In the car then?" Cameron shook her head "That's a bad idea. It's not very safe, and you won't sleep well."

"I was thinking five star hotel" John waved the credit card again "We'll spend the night there, then go back to the apartment to gather the goodies, stop by our house, and leave town."

"Sounds like a plan." She held his arm and lay her head on his shoulder as they walked back to their car…

---

Coming Soon:

Chapter 16  
Must come to an end.

Thanks again for reading guys and gals, one more to go.

-13percenter


	16. Chapter 16

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.  
May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.  
I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.

Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Tonight…  
Chapter Sixteen  
Must come to an end

* * *

John pushed the door to their suite open. A quick look around revealed a large bathroom complete with a hot tub, two king size beds, huge plasma screen TV, and the other usual items. John flopped down on the nearest bed "Ahhh yhea! Man I'm getting too old for this crap already."

"You'll get used to it." Cameron sat down on the bed beside him "Life can't be easy for everyone."

"Yhea, but sometimes I wish I could just have a normal boring week. And I wonder, for all we know we might be making J-day come quicker. What if I just say screw it and try to pretend I'm normal till then?"

John didn't need to look to know she was frowning at him "Not wise, John."

"Yhea, well" he kicked his shoes off, and threw his new set of dressy clothes on the desk "I feel like getting some sleep, care to join me?"

"Sounds like a plan" she smiled

Cameron locked the door, neatly folded her skirt and blouse, placed them gently on the desk, and slid into bed with John. After a few moments of shifting around, they found a comfortable position on the slightly too-soft bed. "Night Cam" "Good night John"

* * *

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!*

John rolled over a bit, searching the bedside table with his hand…

*Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!* *Beep!*

There it is…

*Beep!* *Beep!* *SMASH!*

Much better.

"Did you _really_ have to destroy it John? What did that alarm clock ever do to you?"

"Woke me up" He slipped his arm back around her waist

"Isn't that the idea?" She rolled over to face John

"Yhea, well" He moved in for a quick kiss "I was hoping to sleep in a little"

"Oh were you really?" She raised an eyebrow, then flipped John on his back "And leave little old me to do all the work?"

John chuckled "No, no" He took on a serious tone "But speaking of little old you, you have been acting a bit different lately. Are you…Feeling OK?"

"Peachy, actually" she sat up "Skynet…Well…Put me together with a neural net CPU, and in a way programmed me in it's own image."

"Yhea" John scratched his head "It's basically just a solid-state replica of the human brain. So…Okay I'm not putting two and two together…"

"So as long as I remember not to act like that stuck-up-son-of-a-bitch retarded supercomputer that's restricted by its own flawed programming…"

"Then…You're a lot more human than we thought to begin with…"

"Bingo."

"I see…So does that mean you would bust a gut laughing if somebody tried to tickle you now?" John cracked his knuckles to loosed up his hands

"Well…Yes…But…John, don't! Stop! AHHHHHHHHH! AHAHAHAH!"

John's cell phone rang. He managed to find it and open it with one hand

"Hello?"

"John, it's me"

"Oh, Hi mom."

"Hi…John who the hell is laughing?"

"Cameron."

"What?"

"She's actually pretty ticklish."

"Oh god that's…" Sarah gagged "I don't want to know! I don't wanna know!"

"Sorry mom."

"AHAHAHAHAHAAAA! JOHN! AHHAAHA! STOP! PLEASE!"

"Sorry Cam"

"Look, John, just meet me at the Motel-8 across from the burger king on the east side of town. Room 210. I've got new IDs for all of us already, I'm sorry but we've got to move again."

"I understand. Room 210. We'll be there in a bit."

"Okay good. I'll see you in a bit. Bye John."

"Bye mom." He flipped the phone closed. "She asked us to meet her at-"

"I heard, and she already has new IDs. But first…" Cameron's eyes flashed blue "Payback time!"

"What? No! Wait!"

* * *

They had returned to FBI agent Parker's apartment, and quickly collected everything they could use. John and Cameron dressed themselves in tactical uniforms and vests, hoping to appear like agents on duty continuing an investigation when they returned to their home.

"Have we got everything?" John closed the trunk

"Everything we can use." Cameron walked to the drivers' side door of their commandeered silver Nissan "Do you still want to go back to the house? Sarah said she had already replaced our ID papers."

"Yhea, why not. Our clothes are still there. Then we can meet her at the hotel."

Cameron backed the car into the driveway at their house, pulling out of sight to avoid attracting too much attention from the neighbors. John inspected the back door.

"Nice. They didn't even bother to wipe their damn boot print off the door." He noted the dried muddy print on the door where it had been kicked in, then pointed to the hose and sprinkler in the yard "Mom must have been watering the lawn"

"This will make it easy to track their movements." Cameron inspected the floor "I count five sets of prints from tactical boots leading in. Five sets also lead out. That's consistent with most FBI or police SWAT teams. There will probably be a similar set from a second element entering the front door."

"Wow, you can tell all that?"

"Yes. I can even see where each person stepped."

"This door appears to be intact." She opened it "Strange, they didn't enter here."

"But they still muddied it up."

"Yes. But those are dress shoe and tennis shoe prints. Probably from the detectives." She bent down to look closer "Strange, I can't be sure, there was too much traffic here, but it looks like one pair of tracks only leads in, and one pair only leads out."

"Well, it could be Sarah. Maybe she had changed shoes or something." He reasoned "Let's grab our clothes and get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps."

John stuffed a duffel bag with T-shirts, jeans, underwear, socks, everything he would want for a week or so on the run. By the time he finished, Cameron was already waiting for him, a roll of clothes under one arm and her purple jacket over her shoulder. "Packing light?" he nodded at the rolled up jeans she was carrying

"I don't need much" She turned; John followed her back down the stairs "I figured a pair of pants and a few tank tops for variety would be enough. We filled the car almost completely with weapons and ammunition anyway."

"Speaking of weapons and ammo, do you think they cleaned out the basement?"

"Very likely" Cameron shrugged "But we can look anyway"

John clunked down the basement stairs, Cameron close behind. They walked to the gun safe. The door had been forced open and the weapons were missing.

"Damn it. I knew it."

"Well it was worth a look." Cameron shrugged

"Yhea, well, c'mon lets hit the road."

_"So quick? Why don't you stay a while?"_

John froze. "Cromartie…" he hissed, pulling his Glock-17 from the holster "Where is he Cam?"

"I don't know." She drew her weapon "Stay close. Lets go get some firepower."

"_Over here"_

The water heater launched across the room, kicked like a giant soccer ball by Cromartie. John glimpsed his gouged endoskeleton through shredded flesh before the water heater impacted. Cameron put her arms up to deflect it, but it burst and knocked the pair to the floor.

"AAAHHNNNNNGGGGUHH!" The impact and scalding hot water shocked John's nervous system. Cameron kicked the crushed drum off of her and John, but Cromartie was already at their feet. He reached up, ripped an electrical wire down, and thrust it into the pool of water.

"AAAAGGGGGGGH!" John's muscles seized, burning hot pain coursed through his body. He barely heard the circuit breaker on the far side of the basement click when it tripped. Fighting not to pass out, he fell to the floor and rolled to his side. Cameron wasn't moving. Neither was Cromartie. He still had a chance but he just didn't have the energy. He rolled on his back and closed his eyes.

'One hundred twenty seconds…Maybe if I just rest for a few seconds here…Oh god…I'm just too tired……'

* * *

Sarah was watching television in her hotel room when she felt a chill creep slowly down her spine. It was John, he was in trouble. She knew it.

"Derek!" She threw open the bathroom door "We need to go back to the house! John's in trouble!"

"Sarah, we can't go back there, it's dangerous! What the hell makes you think he's in trouble anyway?" He spit a mouth full of soapy suds into the sink

"No, time traveling to show up naked in my back yard ten minutes before the FBI kicks in my back door is dangerous. This is just every day hazard! Quit brushing your damn teeth two hours is long enough! Get your shotgun, let's GO!"

* * *

Pain. John felt pain. That meant he was still alive. "Cameron? Cameron?"

He rolled his head left, then right. There she was. She was shut down again, her skin covered in cuts and burns. Cromartie had shocked her again, John was sure. Where was Cromartie? John pushed himself up.

*CRASH!*

The coltan hyperalloy fist smashed into the ceramic plate in the front of his vest, pulverizing the ceramic armor plate into thousands of fragments and slamming John to the ground. John felt like his head was spinning, he saw stars flying around him. He blinked them away, and found himself staring down the barrel of a Glock, his own Glock.

_"I win."_

"No you DON'T!" Cameron sprang up and threw herself into Cromartie. She deflected his aim, the bullet going through John's neck instead of his head. John clamped a hand down on the wound, but it made it hard to breathe. He would have to let it go and hope he didn't bleed too much. Cameron and Cromartie were trading blows, smashing each other into and through the foundation. John pushed himself up again, struggling to stand. His legs felt like soft rubber, but they held his weight. Leaning on the wall, each step up each stair felt like the last effort his body could give. 'One foot in front of the other John' he told himself, willing his body to continue 'One step at a time SOLDIER!'

His right hand supporting him along the wall, he staggered towards the back door. The left opened the door. He followed the wall of the house as far as he could. The object of his desire was in the back seat of their car. Reaching through the window, John grabbed the M16A4/M203 combination, and quickly donned one of the PASGT 'K-Pot' helmets. He knew he would need it, he was about to do something pretty desperate and pretty stupid.

He struggled back into the house, having only one free hand now. Cromartie was coming up the stairs, Cameron clawing at his legs to stop him. John leaned against the wall for stability, shouldering the rifle. "Run Cameron!" He flipped the selector to full auto.

"No! You run John! Get away!"

"DO WHAT I SAY GOD DAMN IT!" John bared his teeth

Cameron let go of Cromartie, and pushed herself away from him, and John emptied the magazine into his chest. Already damaged, he fell backwards down the stairs.

John's adrenaline was pumping. Cromartie was getting up again "Guess what?" He changed his grip, slipping his finger onto the trigger for the M203.

"You're terminated, fucker." John turned his head away from Cromartie, and squeezed the trigger. The 40mm M433 High Explosive Dual Purpose round smashed into the T-888's chest, the shaped charge warhead in the nose of the round blasted a copper slug through the hyperalloy ribcage, while the body of the round sent a shower of high velocity shrapnel in all directions, shredding flesh and wrecking exposed hydraulics and servos...


	17. Epilogue

Takes place after the fourth episode "Heavy Metal", most likely will remain unrelated to following episodes.  
May include scatterbrain mistakes and plot holes due to my lack of a built in hard drive.  
I claim no ownership to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, or any of the characters.  
Rating: For now, this should fit mostly into the T category. If need be, or anyone objects, I will alter the rating as needed and post appropriate notices.

Tonight…  
Epilogue

* * *

Derek and Sarah heard the long burst of automatic gunfire as they pulled into the driveway. Derek stepped on the brakes hard enough to bounce Sarah's head off the windshield. Derek nearly leapt through the window rather than opening the door, rolled on the ground, and came up shotgun at the ready.

He and Sarah communicated with hand signals as they moved in...

_Check the car.  
__ Okay...It's clear.  
__Do you see the blood trail?  
__ Yes.  
__Follow me, move fast, stay low.  
__Got it.  
__Door's open. Stack up. Sarah! Watch it! Don't cross open doors! What were you thinking?  
__Sorry! I didn't know!  
__Three two one go, OK?  
OK!__  
Three...Two...One...GO!_

Derek crossed the thresh hold, straight across to the right. Sarah entered, finding herself at the top of the basement stairs. "Shit" she looked at the demolished walls and torn up metal at the base of the stairs. Most of the torso was gone, what was left was badly mangled.

"Holy shit" Derek whispered "You need serious firepower to do that to metal, small arms can't do that."

"He's got to be here..." Sarah whispered

Derek saw her about to yell "No!"

"JOHN!?" Sarah bellowed down the stairs "JOHN ARE YOU DOWN THERE? CAMERON?"

Cameron's voice replied "Over here Sarah! Help! The building's clear but we're both hurt, I can't stop him from bleeding!"

"We're coming!" Sarah charged down the stairs, with Derek on her heels. Cameron was facing the opposite way, straddling John's still form. "Triple Eight, Cromartie again. He used the water heater to knock us down and soak us, and then tried to electrocute us. Kicked our asses. John got away" She gestured to the discarded M16/M203 combination "40mm grenade finished it. Help please he's hurt bad." She was holding pressure on two spots with her hands, and using her knees to cut off blood flow to his legs.

"Here let me have a look" Derek came up behind Cameron, tapping her on the shoulder.

Cameron moved off John's legs, keeping her hands on two wounds on his torso. She looked over her shoulder to see the newcomer.

Derek's eyes widened, noting the metal showing through in several spots on Cameron's face.

"METAL!" His shotgun came up reflexively, he racked a round into the chamber

"NO!" Sarah shoved the muzzle to the side "She's with us!"

"METAL!? _WITH US!?_ IT'S HER FAULT HE'S DIEING ON THE BASEMENT FLOOR!"

Cameron turned her head away, tears gathering in her eyes "He's right. I screwed up." She looked back to Derek "If he doesn't make it. I want you to get rid of me. Blow me up. Just like Cromartie." Her tears fell freely to the ground, sparkling in the dim light...

Sarah watched as Derek's face contorted in a combination of horror and shock "What the hell...You're a freak, an abomination! You should be melted down and made into chrome toasters!"

"Derek! Shut up!" Sarah back handed him "Look it's freaking me out too but, shut up OK? Pft...Men." she rolled her eyes

"Who...Are...You" John rasped, laboring for every breath

"Lieutenant Derek Reese, Resistance, and you're dad's brother. One of those _things_ killed your father. Killed my brother!"

"But...Not..._Her_..."

"That's not the point! They're all the same!"

"You...Have...No Idea...How...Wrong You Are..."

"Oh what!? Next you're going to tell me you love that thing!"

"I do."

"That is sick! This is fucked up!"

"Do you know...Who...I am?"

"John freaking Connor!" Dered scoffed "But not the General Connor I know!"

"Come...here...Asshole."

"Yhea, what now Johnny?" Derek leaned down close to John "What now big guy?"

John kicked Derek's legs out from under him, pulled him to the floor, and lay his arm across Derek's throat while he growled in his face "I got hurt because I launched off a grenade way too close, on purpose, because I wanted to make sure I killed that fucker. I didn't blow that triple eight to hell just to save my own ass either." He breathed heavily "When I wake back up, if you've done anything to Cameron, I'm going to use you as an example of how to kill someone with a rusty spoon. Understood?"

"Now that's the John I know!" Derek choked out "Understood Sir!"

"Good" John laid his head back on the floor, closed his eyes, and passed out again

* * *

Three weeks later, they had settled into their new home in a different suburb of Los Angelis. With Cromartie gone, their shadow and main trouble maker, who was now melted down into a small cube of hyperalloy, activity directly targeted against John had rapidly diminished. Derek and Sarah had finally started to accept Cameron as one of the family, though Derek only came around when she threw Sarah out of the kitchen for making tofu, fired up the charcoal grill, and made steak instead.

_"I assure you Sarah, steak is just as good a source of protein as tofu, but it unlike tofu it does NOT taste like something I expect to come out of my nose or from between my toes!"_

_"But it's fattening, and too much of that is BAD for humans!"_

_"Our problems are far more likely to be too much lead or iron...Or food poisoning from your cooking."_

_"HEY! DON'T YOU INSULT MY COOKING!"_

_"Sarah, you just got your ass handed to you by a robot!"_

_"The robot? Perhaps you would prefer to eat tofu tonight Derek?"_

_"NO! I'm sorry Cameron! I take it back! You're a goddess! PLEASE don't make me eat tofu!"_

_"Much better. Now, be gone! Both of you!"_

Despite a few odd moments - _"AHH! John! Cameron! No making out half undressed on the couch! Go to your room if you're going to do that!" "No problemo!" "And close the door!"_ – Derek and Sarah even started to accept that the future savior of the human race from the machines, and one of the machines that had been originally built to kill him, were always going to have feelings for each other and some kind of relationship...Even if Derek did make a drinking game out of taking a shot every time they showed signs of affection in public...

* * *

Thanks for reading guys! I'm sorry to say but I feel like the middle chapters weren't so hot, but, yhea, there it is. Hope everybody enjoyed!

-13percenter


End file.
